Since Brexit, Brits can only spend 90 days at one time in Spain, and this includes islands in the Canaries like Lanzarote, Tenerife and Gran Canaria(Image: Getty Images)

Canary Islands issue urgent warning to Brit tourists hoping to head there on holiday

Since Brexit, Brits can only spend 90 days at one time in Spain, including on the popular Canary Islands like Lanzarote, Tenerife and Gran Canaria

30 Sep 2024, 01:00 by Lucy Skoulding · The Mirror

UK holidaymakers are reportedly being put off from travelling to the usually popular Canary Islands for some sun because of a European Union rule change.

Since Brexit, Brits can only spend 90 days at one time in Spain, and this includes islands in the Canaries like Lanzarote, Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

The rule change has led to disgruntled UK holidaymakers considering returning from the sun-soaked islands or avoiding going there altogether. All the while, thousands of locals living in the Canary Islands have been taking to the streets in protest against mass tourism recently, declaring that their region is "not for sale".

Local people are protesting against the rise in short-term holiday lettings as well as hotel developments, which are driving up local housing cost( Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

Local people are protesting against the rise in short-term holiday lettings as well as hotel developments, which are driving up local housing costs. The protests come in a bid to stem a boom in short-term holiday rentals and hotel construction - which is driving up housing costs for locals, reports BirminghamLive.

Signs reading "We don't want to see our island die", "Stop Hotels" and "Canaries not for sale" were seen as thousands of people took to the streets. "It's not a message against the tourist, but against a tourism model that doesn't benefit this land and needs to be changed," said one protester in Tenerife's capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Antonio Bullon, a protester in Tenerife, said: "The authorities must immediately stop this corrupt and destructive model that depletes the resources and makes the economy more precarious.

The rule change has led to disgruntled UK holidaymakers considering returning from the sun-soaked islands or avoiding going there altogether( Image: Getty Images/Collection Mix: Subjects RF)

"The Canary Islands have limits and people's patience too." The islands' president said on Friday that he felt "proud" the region is a leading Spanish tourism spot but acknowledged more controls are needed. The islands are home to two million people but welcome a much larger number each year in terms of holidaymakers.

It comes as holidaymakers jetting off for some sun in Tenerife are being warned about a ban preventing them from swimming in the sea. Brits who are heading to the popular Spanish island for a holiday will not be able to go into the sea at one particular beach because of pollution in the water.

Playa Jardin, in Puerto de la Cruz, is a popular spot for visitors as it's one of the prettiest beaches in the Canary Islands - but there is currently an indefinite ban on anyone going in the sea because of the health risks.

The indefinite ban on bathing is due to contamination following wastewater pollution, which was exposed during tests for E.coli, reports BirminghamLive. Health chiefs are now warning visitors that it could be dangerous to swim in the sea, The Sun reports. Warning signs have been posted in different languages at all entrances to the beach.