Shock as 'Kill A Tourist' slogan graffiti seen in Tenerife, as local says anti-holidaymaker backlash now 'frightening'

18 January 2025, 12:40 | Updated: 18 January 2025, 13:34

A shocking anti-tourist slogan has been seen graffitied on a wall in Tenerife, against the backdrop of a vehement protest movement.

The graffiti, seen on a house in the south of the Spanish island, reads: "Kill A Tourist".

Tenerife and other Spanish holiday hotspots have seen several protests against overcrowding recently.

The concerned resident, who did not want to be named due to safety worries, is in favour of the protest movement but is concerned that feelings are now running too high.

They told LBC: "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.

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"People are desperate for change and for us to be respected, but perhaps this does not justify those actions, which seem to be escalating. It's frightening."

Footage of the graffiti being painted on the was posted online by a group called Islas de Resistencia, which describes itself as "a project to recover the memory of social movements in the Canary Islands."

Last summer thousands of tourists took to the streets to protest against the number of people visiting the popular spots.

Activists are demanding the government make a change to prevent the number of tourists visiting the holiday hotspot amid soaring rents.

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Carlos Tarife, the deputy mayor for Tenerife capital Santa Cruz, said earlier last year the island doesn't want tourists coming on all-inclusive packages.

He told a local outlet: "Where before there were hotels with 250 beds, today we are in hotels with fewer beds and higher quality.

"I think that's the tourism we need in our land, not the wristband and 'all-inclusive' kind of tourism of 'I stay inside the hotel and do everything inside the hotel'.

"That's why there are other destinations."

It comes as Spain is also set to impose a 100% tax on non-EU citizens buying homes in the country as it moves to prioritise housing availability for locals.