'Everyone is welcome here. It's not an anti-British thing.'
All year round, the beaches of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura throng with holidaymakers lapping up the warm weather and natural beauty. But while the Canaries have long been a favoured destination for Brits, not everyone is happy.
'We have staff who can't find anywhere to live' John Parkes owns The Vault Bar in the resort of Los Cristianos, Tenerife, where the vast majority of his customers are tourists. Mr Parkes, 43, was born near Oldham, but has called the island home since the age of seven. "The point of the protests is to revise how the island is set up for the tourist markets and look at why every single house can be rented to tourists at expense of living accommodation."
However, he believes the message behind the protests has been "misconstrued" and is concerned it may put off tourists. "This kind of thing happens everywhere where there is tourism. Even in the Lake District and Cornwall, you've got similar issues with how the accommodation has been changed from places to live to holiday homes.
However, despite the influx in its visitors, poverty is a major issue in the Canaries. A total of 33.8pc of people on the archipelago are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, the highest proportion for any region except Andalusia, according to figures from Spain's National Statistics Institute. Lanzarote experiences frequent problems with its water system and the more rural parts of Lanzarote have their supply cut off during peak tourism season.
"The problem is not the English holidaymakers or any other for that matter," he explained. "The problem is the greedy apartment and villa owners. 'There are people living in tents, vans, and cars on the street. Is that fair?' Chris Elkington has lived in Tenerife since 1991 after relocating from Stockport. He now edits Canarian Weekly, an English-language newspaper based on the islands.
"They want somewhere to live. They’re happy to pay but the government is allowing too many holiday homes so they’re forced out. There are people living in tents, vans, and cars on the street. Is that fair? 'We cannot be a theme park' Anthony Caitucoli who runs the American Indian Cafe in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, says tourism is the economic engine of the Canary Islands but agrees the islands do face some challenges.
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