This is the bizarre moment anti-tourism protesters in Lanzarote broke into a beachfront hotel and began washing their kitchen towels in the pool while sunbathers watched from their sun loungers amid rising tensions over the island’s water supply. .
Protesters invaded the Papagayo Arena hotel in Playa Blanca on Monday with banners with the slogans “This hotel is illegal” and “Our water is in your pool.” to protest the hotel’s handling of the current water shortage plaguing the Spanish island.
Protesters were seen filling containers with water from hotel pools. Fed up locals have become frustrated with recent water outages and claim tourists staying in hotels are enjoying an endless supply.
Images shared by the group on Instagram show one of the protesters washing her kitchen rags with pool water, while other protesters hold signs condemning the hotel.
“Full pools, illegal hotels and towns without water,” the Instagram caption read.
Anti-tourism protesters in Lanzarote broke into a beachfront hotel and began washing their kitchen towels in the pool as tensions grow over water supply problems.
Protesters invaded the Papagayo Arena hotel in Playa Blanca on Monday carrying banners reading “This hotel is illegal” and “Our water is in your pool” to protest the hotel’s illegal handling of the ongoing water shortage. to the Spanish island.
A protester holds a sign reading “Our water is in your pool” at the Papagayo Arena hotel during a demonstration against the hotel’s alleged violation of land use regulations, as the island suffers from a severe water shortage.
Protesters were also seen handing out leaflets saying, “Now that you know, if you stay at the Sandos Papagayo, you are complicit in this environmental crime” to hotel guests.
The brochures describe the current water supply problems on the island.
Islanders are also currently facing severe water cuts due to low supply amid a period of droughts.
The group, along with other organizations, is also calling for a broader demonstration on October 20 throughout the Canary Islands to protest against the government’s tourism model and the exploitation of local resources.
“This does not represent the interests or voices of those of us who live here, but rather follows the same pattern of exclusion as always,” said the environmental group Atan Tenerife.
‘While they sell us the idea of a Canary Islands ‘of the future’ that only a few are building, the reality is that this future is being designed without the real participation of society.’
Tourists relaxing by the pool watched as protesters poured into the hotel.
A woman is seen showering by the hotel pool as Lanzarote residents struggle with water outages.
Slogan ‘Our water is in your pool’ carried by a member of the activist group ‘Lanzarote has a limit’
Protesters walk by the pool holding signs.
The group, along with other organizations, is also calling for a broader demonstration on October 20 throughout the Canary Islands to protest against the government’s tourism model and the exploitation of local resources.
The protest is the latest in a series of anti-tourism protests across Spain, which have left countless visitors furious after paying hundreds of pounds to enjoy their time abroad.
The protest is the latest in a series of anti-tourism protests across Spain, which have left countless visitors furious after paying hundreds of pounds to enjoy their time abroad.
In the summer months, tens of thousands of Spaniards flooded cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao and Santa Cruz de Tenerife throughout the season to deter the more than 85 million tourists who visit Spain each year.
It comes amid widespread dissatisfaction in Spain over wages, housing and opportunities, which residents believe has been worsened by overtourism.
During the six months to the end of June, 42.5 million international visitors traveled to the country, with June alone seeing a 12% increase to 9 million as the peak summer period resumes, according to the agency. Spanish INE data.
That means 2024 is shaping up to be another record year for Spain, which is already the second most visited country in the world behind France, so it is likely to surpass last year’s high of 85 million tourists, when numbers exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
Data shows that visitors are increasingly choosing to stay in rental apartments, rather than hotels, increasing demand for apartments and incentivizing landlords to purchase homes at the expense of residents.
The number of visitors to Spain in the first half of the year staying in this type of accommodation increased by 30%, while those staying in hotels increased by 11%.
Aggrieved locals recently made headlines by chaining up the 22 entrances to their gated community, known for its narrow cobblestone streets that wind between its whitewashed houses.
