British holidaymaker warning as Lanzarote and Tenerife announce new tourism laws
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info
Lanzarote and Tenerife are set to "rip up" the tourism rulebook, launching a crackdown on UK holidaymakers with new laws amidst growing protests.
Demonstrations have been escalating across Spain, with locals protesting against tourists in the Canary Islands within the European Union. Activists have pledged to invade popular tourist spots, disrupt public events and "confront political leaders".
A fresh campaign is set to commence from May 18. "From now on, we will take our fight to the very spaces where their predatory model is perpetuated," declared activist group Canarias tiene un límite (The Canaries Have a Limit).
"We will boycott public events, confront political leaders during their appearances and occupy symbolic tourist spaces to make it clear that we will not stop until real change is achieved.
"The Canary Islands can no longer be a postcard backdrop for the enjoyment of a privileged few," the statement read. In a separate warning, the group said: "This cry, which reflects the feelings of a people tired of being ignored and mistreated, will be the beginning of a new stage of struggle: firmer, more direct, more uncomfortable for those who refuse to listen to us and take real measures," reports Birmingham Live.
Alfonso Cabello, spokesperson for the regional government, said: "We're doing this the Canary Islands way - extending a hand and listening to everyone."
Jessica de León, Canary Islands' Minister of Tourism and Employment, emphasised the importance of resident wellbeing while introducing new regulations. "The new regulation must align with today's social and environmental realities, correcting outdated elements and integrating changes from national and regional rulings, including Constitutional Court decisions," she commented.
Responding, a Brit expressed mixed feelings: "You have to feel some sympathy with the Islanders, they need tourism but they need the right kind of tourism. All inclusive kills the local economy however at the same time they need to manage the costs charged and the amount of tourists that can be on the island at the same time."
Meanwhile, another individual said online: "I'm glad I spend my money in Britain each year. The North Yorkshire Moors, Whitby, Scarborough, and the famous NYMR (Railway) is worth a visit."
Another person suggested a solution for the Canary Islands government: "If the various branches of The Canarian Govt could manage a building programme to house residents into may be a way forward. Even simpler, limit air bnb properties at any one time to a very small % of housing stock available."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
US and Europe trade negotiators discuss tariffs in Paris
Europe and the United States are meeting in Paris to negotiate a settlement of a tense tariff spat with global economic ramifications between two economic powerhouses. The European Union's top trade negotiator, Maros Sefcovic, met on Wednesday with his American counterpart, US trade representative Jamieson Greer, on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 'We're advancing in the right direction at pace,' Mr Sefcovic said at a news conference. He said ongoing technical meetings between EU and US negotiators in Washington would be soon followed by a video conference between himself and Mr Greer to then 'assess the progress and charter the way forward'. Brussels and Washington are unlikely to reach a substantive trade agreement in Paris. The issues dividing them are too difficult to resolve quickly. US President Donald Trump regularly criticises America's persistent trade deficit with the European Union, which was a record 161 billion dollars (£119 billion)last year, according to the US Commerce Department. Mr Trump blames the gap between what the US sells and what it buys from Europe on unfair trade practices and often singles out for criticism the EU's 10% tax on imported cars. America's was 2.5% until Mr Trump raised it to 25% in April. The EU has argued its purchases of US services, especially in the technology sector, all but overcome the deficit. After the Trump administration's surprise tariffs last week on steel rattled global markets and complicated the ongoing, wider tariff negotiations between Brussels and Washington, the EU on Monday said it is preparing 'countermeasures' against the US. The EU has offered the US a 'zero for zero' deal in which both sides end tariffs on industrial goods, including cars. Mr Trump has rejected that idea, but EU officials say it is still on the table. The EU could buy more liquefied natural gas and defence items from the US, and lower duties on cars, but it is not likely to budge on calls to scrap the value added tax, which is akin to a sales tax, or open up the EU to American beef. 'We still have a few weeks to have this discussion and negotiation,' French trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin said in Paris on Wednesday ahead of the OECD meeting. 'If the discussion and negotiation do not succeed, Europe is capable of having countermeasures on American products and services as well.' Greta Peisch, who was general counsel for the US trade representative in the Biden administration, said the zero-for-zero proposal could provide a way to make progress if the Trump administration 'is looking for a reason not to impose tariffs on the EU'. But Ms Peisch, now a partner at the Wiley Rein law firm, added: 'How motivated is the US to come to a deal with the EU?' Mr Trump, after all, has longstanding grievances and complaints about EU trade practices. One target of his ire is the value-added tax. Mr Trump and his advisers consider VATs unfair protectionism because they are levied on US products. But VATs are set at a national level, not by the EU, and apply to domestic and imported products alike, so they have not traditionally been considered a trade barrier. There is little chance governments will overhaul their tax systems to appease Mr Trump. Likewise, the Europeans are likely to balk at US demands to scrap food and safety regulations that Washington views as trade barriers. These include bans on hormone-raised beef, chlorinated chicken and genetically modified foods. 'When you start talking about chickens or GMOs or automobile safety standards, you're talking about the ways countries choose to regulate their economies,' Ms Peisch said. 'We think that's protectionist. They think it's keeping their citizens healthy … It's been a sore point for 60 years.'
New Statesman
an hour ago
- New Statesman
The world is finally turning against the war on Gaza
Photo by AFP via Getty Images It's impossible to know what, precisely, sparked the change. For the past 20 months we have seen horrifying images and video clips depicting the death and suffering of innocent Palestinians in Gaza – and yet so many in the West defended Israel's brutal assault. The bombing of hospitals, the targeted shooting of children, the slow starvation of an entire population was, until very recently, met with near silence from some corners or tepid calls for a ceasefire from others. But something has undeniably shifted. On 19 May the leaders of the UK, France and Canada joined together to finally call Benjamin Netanyahu's escalation in Gaza 'wholly disproportionate' and 'egregious'. The following day David Lammy announced that the UK was suspending trade talks with Israel. The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has said that Israel's actions in Gaza 'can no longer be justified'. The European Union has launched a formal review of its association agreement with Israel after 17 member states voted in favour of doing so. The review will determine whether Israel has complied with Article 2 of the agreement, which requires it to 'respect human rights'. It's not just political leaders who have found their voices. Journalists, celebrities and other public figures have shifted as well. Piers Morgan, once a defender of Israel's war, now conducts increasingly hostile interviews with Israeli officials and ambassadors on his YouTube show Uncensored, where he condemns Israel for 'killing babies daily' and its 'starvation' of civilians. Some of the biggest podcasters in the world, including Joe Rogan and Theo Von, have spoken about their opposition to the war in recent weeks. Von openly wept while discussing Gaza on his podcast, which has millions of listeners, and has said, 'We're watching one of the sickest things that's ever happened.' On 28 May, more than 400 prominent writers signed an open letter calling for an end to Israel's 'genocidal' war. In many ways it was like the dozens of open letters that came before it, but this one was notable for including prominent names who had either been previously absent, like Ian McEwan, or previously ambivalent, like Zadie Smith. For those who have been unwaveringly, publicly against Israel's war on Gaza since it began following the 7 October attacks, the sudden surge in condemnation has been disorientating. Some have even found it infuriating, suspecting that the abrupt about-face is less about a genuine revelation concerning the war, and more an accurate reading of the near future, when being the last one defending the indefensible will be a permanent stain on one's legacy. A pivot against the war now, 20 months in, some suggest, is too little, too late. This is partially true. For political leaders with the power to apply real pressure on Israel, a change in rhetoric alone is far too little. Saying that the indiscriminate killing of civilians, the deliberate withholding of much-needed aid or the flouting of international law is wrong should be the bare minimum. While the US is the nation with the most sway over Israel, other allies have influence. As the former diplomat Peter Ricketts has argued in the New Statesman, Keir Starmer must now 'align his actions with his words' by suspending all arms exports licenses to Israel – rather than the partial suspension it introduced in September 2024 — and sanctioning the most extremist ministers in Netanyahu's government, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who have advocated 'cleansing' Gaza and deliberately withholding food. The EU, meanwhile, is Israel's largest trading partner. If the bloc's formal review of the EU-Israel association agreement were to conclude with the suspension of the preferential trade agreement – a move that would only require a majority of member states to approve, rather than unanimity – it would have real economic consequences for Israel. And all Western states could do more to advance the prospect of Palestinian statehood: the Saudi-French conference on Palestine at the UN will take place from 17-20 June in New York, and was conceived as an opportunity to coordinate an international response to Gaza. The French are reportedly hoping the event will spur more countries to formally recognise a Palestinian state, joining the more than 140 UN member states that have already done so. So yes, too little has been done. But it is not too late to come out against the war, even if it's for the first time. While the shift regarding Gaza has been palpable, there are still too many examples of people being censured for speaking out. International students in the US are still being detained and deported for protesting the war. German universities are still cancelling events featuring prominent critics of Israel's actions. The American children's educator and YouTube star Ms Rachel, who last year began fundraising for children in Gaza and using her considerable platform to highlight their suffering, was recently reported to the Department of Justice by a pro-Israel group, which spuriously suggested she is being funded by Hamas. But the more people call for an end to the war, the more difficult they become to silence. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Crucially, it's not too late for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still in Gaza, still under siege, still fighting to survive. They have not yet been killed, they have not yet been expelled. They can still be helped. The best time to come out against the war was any time in the last 20 months. The second best time is now. [See also: How Putin will respond to 'Russia's Pearl Harbour'] Related
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Love Island's Harry accused of dumping stunning girl he was dating just days before cast reveal saying ‘I'm off to Bali'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LOVE Island star Harry Cooksley has been accused of dumping a stunning girl he was dating, just days before the cast reveal - and telling her he was 'off to Bali.' The midfielder, 30, is said to be known as The Surrey Zidane by fans of his side, Farnham Town. 5 Love Island star Harry Cooksley has been accused of dumping a stunning girl he was dating, just days before the cast reveal - and told her he was 'off to Bali" Credit: Instagram/@harrycooksley8 5 The midfielder, 30, is said to be to be known as the Surrey Zidane by fans of his side Credit: Instagram 5 Harry is hoping to find love on the new and upcoming series of Love Island Now the lad will be hoping to find love in Majorca as part of Maya Jama's squad. But right up until the moment the cast of the 2025 series was revealed, a girl has claimed that Harry was dating her. Heartbroken by the revelation that he'd be starring on Love Island she called him a 'liar,' and explained that she thought he was flying out to Bali, not to the villa in Mallorca. She told The Sun: 'I was dating Harry until the moment he sat on the flight going to Love Island. 'He told me he was going to Bali and I genuinely thought we had a future together, but no. He is a huge manipulator and I'm not the only girl he's done this too.' She continued to explain that other girls had spoken to her, claiming they, too, were dating Harry. She added: 'Turns out he was dating a few people at once.' She continued: 'He called me for three hours before he jetted off to Love Island, and told me he was going to Bali to build a life for our family. It's so scary how he lied to me, and I feel so broken. I've been completely blindsided by him. 'I also got a call from another girl after it came to light that he was going on the show, and she said he'd been dating her for seven months, at the same time that he was dating me. Ten Years of Love Island 'I was even planning on meeting him out in Bali, because it was such a secure conversation and he never ended what we had, despite knowing he was going on Love Island.' In a heartbreaking final revelation she added: 'I've never cried so much and felt so blindsided and lied to like this from another human being.' ITV has responded to the claims, saying: 'All of our Islanders are single and looking for love," when approached for comment. Ahead of Harry's arrival on the hit show, a source said: 'Harry's got the full package - a great, athletic bod and great chat. 'Love Island's ladies love a footballer and The Surrey Zidane will be sure to impress as he plays away.' When asked if he has a claim to fame, the Guildford-native said: "I'm the body double for Declan Rice. "So when he does a shoot, any body close ups will actually be me. "You'll never see my face, but you'll see my shoulder or chest, that kind of thing." 5 The girl claims that other women have come forward saying that they were also dating Harry Credit: Instagram/@harrycooksley8
