I'm 15 and from Tenerife - tourists harass us so badly half the island isn't safe
Celia Quintero,15, said she had been followed by a group of German tourists who she claimed harassed her so much she had to hide in a bar.
A 15-year-old girl from Tenerife says tourists have harassed locals so badly they have made half of the island unsafe.
Celia Quintero, who was protesting to stop tourists ‘killing the Canary Islands’ last weekend, said she had been followed by a group of German tourists who she claimed harassed her so much in a language she did not understand she had to hide in a bar.
Celia said she feels under strain at school to accommodate British tourists with some subjects even being taught in the language such as maths.
She said: “You have to know English because we rely on tourism and to stay safe.”
She told the Express at the protest: “I wouldn’t go to the south of the island alone, it is not safe for young women.”
Her brother Jaime, 21, who was also protesting, said they were not totally against tourism but said the way people visited the islands needed to change.
He said: “We are not against tourism, but every nook and cranny is being taken over. We want to change it to make it more sustainable. When I visit beaches they are filled with rubbish it makes me sad.
“We want to address the misconception that we don’t want tourists. We are here to change tourism. This island is beautiful and if we don’t protect it there will be nothing for the tourists to see.”
Activists are asking for limits to be put on visitor numbers, the amount of people moving to the country and new hotel developments as well as asking for more taxes so it can be reinvested into the communities affected.
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And it is not just Tenerife affected, as protests also took place in Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura on Saturday.
Tenerife marches saw an estimated 50,000 people take to the streets, with chants of "the Canaries have a limit" being bellowed through megaphones and banners being carried with slogans such as "domestic terrorism is the holiday home".
The rising anger among folk in the islands has prompted Canarian leaders to warn against making tourists feel unwelcome given how much they rely on it for income.
Fernando Clavijo, the Canary Islands president, blasted the activists, saying their argument "smacks of tourist-phobia".
