“Going home”: Locals protest against tourists in Tenerife

Tourists are a major economic factor in the Canary Islands, but they are not welcome everywhere. Graffiti on Tenerife is now drawing attention to the dark side of tourism.

“My misery is your paradise” – my misery, your paradise – is written in red on a stone bench decorated with white mosaics. Just one of many graffiti in Palm Mar pointing to the problem: With slogans like this, placed in prominent places in the popular tourist resort, someone in Tenerife expressed their anger about tourism and reminded holidaymakers of the dark side of their lives. Attentive holiday. Such as the local English news portal “Canarian Weekly” mentionedAmong other things, the slogan can be read “Tourists go home.”

On another wall, there is a quote reminding us of the poor wages on popular holiday islands. It is written in red: “The average salary in the Canary Islands is 1,200 euros” – The average salary in the Canary Islands is 1,200 euros. As Canarian Weekly writes, this net salary is simply no longer enough for local residents due to rising rents and inflation-related costs of living.

Rental prices are reaching record levels

According to information from “Tenerife News” He has it Rental prices in Spain's Canary Islands reached a new record high of 12.90 euros per square meter last November. Although the salaries of 277,317 employees increased by 3.57 percent in 2023, the cost of living rose more than wages by 5.8 percent.

Tourism also has its downsides when it comes to transportation. “Especially when the number of tourists is at its highest and the streets are full of rental cars,” according to Canary Weekly, traffic almost comes to a standstill.

Locals are well aware that the island needs tourism. However, both locals and environmental groups argue that “the government is going too far in flooding the island.” The result is a reduced quality of life. Graffiti in Palm Mar also draws attention to the destruction of biodiversity.