The main issue reportedly angering locals in the beautiful Canarian island of Tenerife is not to be blamed on tourism but to “the people in charge at the town halls”.
Pictures of graffiti sprayed on walls around Tenerife telling tourists to “go home” have been shared across Europe, reaching prospective holidaymakers and expats alike.
While some may harbour this anti-tourism sentiment, the news website Canarian Weekly has urged holidaymakers not to assume that is a stance embraced by many on the stunning island.
The news outlet pointed out in an op-ed that “it only takes one angry man, with a can of spray paint and a smartphone to imply that an entire island has a hatred towards foreign visitors”.
While branding a similar assumption “utter garbage”, they admitted that Tenerife residents, particularly those living in the southern part of the island, are experiencing massive housing issues.
The article read: “There is currently an issue, especially in the south of Tenerife, regarding available and affordable housing. When I say an issue, I mean a massive, massive issue!”
To boost the tourism presence, local administrations have created more and more holiday accommodations, theme parks, shopping centres and other structures all catering to holidaymakers to make their stay as idyllic and carefree as possible.
However, in doing so, they argued that vital housing space for locals has been eroded.
It read: “Due to the high number of properties that are now leased to holidaymakers, there is nowhere to live. Simple.”
While tourism is a massive industry and the island is highly dependent on it, placing more attention on supporting visitors has resulted in municipalities neglecting “those on the ground who have made it work”, the article claimed.
Some of the people driven away from homes due to the high prices and lack of living spaces have resorted to moving into motorhomes, temporary accommodations and shanty towns.
The issue of housing is affecting a wide range of people, including people with jobs but with wages too low compared to the cost of rents and mortgages.
An analysis carried out on the island by Caritas – a confederation of Catholic relief services – last year suggested that around 2,400 people across Tenerife were living in shanties, substandard housing or other structures such as tents and campervans.
