Brits tourists say 'boycott' Tenerife after chilling death threat graffiti appears on island

James Rodger & Zasha Whiteway-Wilkinson & Sally McLean
·2-min read
Protestors in Tenerife with placards
-Credit:Getty


Fears are mounting over the safety of UK tourists visiting Tenerife after chilling grafitti was seen in the holiday hotspot. A threatening message reading 'Kill a tourist' was seen on a building.

The popular Canary Islands tourist magnet was visited by around 5.6million Brits in 2023, but growing resentment towards holidaymakers is ramping up, with protests in Spain over the lack of affordable housing and concerns about the environment.

The grim message was painted on the residential building by the Islas de Resistencia group who say they are "a project to recover the memory of social movements in the Canary Islands".

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Image of grafitti in Tenerife
Chilling 'Kill a tourist' graffiti spotted in Spanish holiday hotspot -Credit:Social Media

A local who noticed the threatening graffiti spoke to LBC, saying: "Things on the islands are getting worse due to the large number of tourists and new residents, which leave us without homes and severely affect our natural environment."

But Brits have hit back. One said: "Won't take long to slip into a medieval slum without tourist revenue. Oh well, never mind."

Another weighed in: "The problem with demos against tourists in Canary Islands is that it won't solve the problems.

"There's a housing shortage just about everywhere including non-touristy areas. Kill tourism and you kill your income equals no housing then either. In some of the Canary Islands there are huge blocks of part built condos and estates that have been unfinished for years."

And there were calls for Brits to cancel holidays to the island and boycott them with one saying: "I wish everyone would just boycott these islands, and leave the Spanish and Africans alone without any jobs, to fight it out for survival, " reports the Mirror.

Another added: "Tourists go home" but "refugees welcome. " Okay Spain, but here's another English phrase for you: "Be careful what you wish for"."

One user scathingly remarked: "I hope Spain can survive once the tourist gravy train slows to a trickle, Turkey it is then...Adious! "

A different perspective was offered by someone who said the island should look to the past, stating: "They should look at the photos of places like Los Cristianos, and Las Americas back in the 1960s when they were nothing more than small fishing villages, which is exactly what they will be again if the tourists and their money leave."

It comes after Spain's prime minister vowed to impose a ban on non-resident Brits aiming to live in the country following national protests demanding tourists "go home".

Spain has been rocked by major public demonstrations calling on the more than 88.5 million people who visit each year to choose other holiday destinations, deeming the sheer number unsustainable for its roughly 47 million residents.

Anti-tourism campaigners have blamed tourists for nationally high rental rates and a lack of affordable housing, as scores of people are left at risk of poverty.

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