‘I'm stuck in my Airbnb' – Irish tourists ‘scared' to leave rooms as thousands join latest Spain protest after warning

The Irish Sun

20-05-2025

TERRIFIED Irish holidaymakers in Spain this weekend hid in their hotels as protestors took to the streets in their thousands and demanded an end to mass tourism.
Some
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A tourist watches on as protesters call for a change to the tourism model in the Canary Islands
Credit: REUTERS
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Thousands march along the seafront overlooking the beach in Gran Canaria
Credit: Alamy Live News
Demonstrations were held on Sunday in
And holidaymakers cowered in hotel rooms and awkwardly watched from the sidelines as
Dozens of armed officers from the National
Sunseekers were
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But with hostile messages against foreigners and tourists written on public walls on the rise, fears have grown that the movement could
Earlier this month, a protestor in
One Irish holidaymaker, 32, told how he was too "scared" to be on the streets while the protests were underway on Sunday.
Alberto Babo told MailOnline: "I didn't go out today due to the protests, I'm stuck in my Airbnb to avoid the crowds.
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"I hope they are not violent or anything but just to be safe I'm here. All I can hear is the noise."
I'm a Lanzarote ladette who drinks all day & sunbed hogs, I pay locals' wages, I'm fuming they're moaning about tourists
Demonstrators were heard shouting "Canarias No Se Vende", meaning "The Canary Islands Are Not For Sale," and "Enough is Enough" as they proudly held Canary Island flags in the sky during the protest.
Some banners called for a stop to excessive tourism whilst others said: "There's not enough beds for so many foreigners."
Activists were also heard blowing whistles, banging on drums and blowing through huge shells to make a loud horn-like noise.
It is understood that that there were no incidents reported over any of the protests that took place across the archipelago on Sunday.
Tourists were
But despite the chaos and the promise of more protests during peak summer holiday season, unions have urged people not to cancel their holidays.
They insisted that the anger is aimed at the system, not tourists.
MORE PROTESTS PLANNED
MORE protests have been planned for the peak summer holiday season.
And the demonstrations are this time set to take place across both the Canary Island's and Spain's mainland.
The cities
It is understood that some
, the Pyrenees,
,
, Bilbao, Donostia-San Sebastián, Santander, Pamplona, the Canary Islands and Barcelona are all set to see protest action.
The Canarian Trade Union Federation, said the wealth generated by tourism should be distributed more fairly to improve the labour and wage rights of more than 170,000 tourism workers in the Canaries.
Overcrowding has become the main problem in
sunshine destinations, with authorities
to keep both tourists and locals happy.
'PEOPLE ARE TIRED'
But locals have also said overtourism has reduced their quality of life, increased the cost of living and brought in cheap, "low-quality" tourists who do not contribute to the local economy.
More than one million foreign tourists visit the Canary Islands each month, compared to a local population of 2.2 million, according to official data.
And Spain, which had a record number of tourist arrivals in 2024, expects even more visitors this year.
Canarias tiene un límite, a group meaning 'the Canary Islands have a limit', 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."
Canary Island officials this week travelled to Brussels to formally ask the European Union for permission to impose limits on property purchases by non-residents and foreign investors.
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Activists blew through enormous shells to make a loud horn-like noise during the protests
Credit: Getty Images