Canary Islands Anti-Tourism Graffiti: Mr TravelON Says One Brick Does Not Speak For Tenerife

A controversial anti-tourism message discovered on a hiking route in northern Tenerife has reignited concerns about visitor sentiment in the Canary Islands. However, Mr TravelON says one piece of graffiti does not represent the islands or the people who depend on tourism. In this Truth Travel report, he examines the real issues behind the protests and why holidaymakers should not be alarmed.

A shocking anti-tourism message found on a hiking route in northern Tenerife has sparked another wave of headlines, but Mr TravelON says travellers need context, not fear, as the Canary Islands remain open, welcoming and heavily dependent on tourism.

The Canary Islands are back in the headlines after reports of anti-tourism graffiti in Tenerife, including a disturbing message said to have been found by hikers in the north of the island.

The message, reportedly written on a brick or wall along a walking route, has now been picked up by several media outlets and shared across social media, feeding once again into the idea that tourists are not welcome in the Canary Islands.

Mr TravelON, reporting for Truth Travel, says this is exactly why context matters.

According to Mr TravelON, the location of the graffiti is important. This was not written across the front of a hotel in Costa Adeje, Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca, Corralejo or Las Americas. It was found in a remote northern area, far from the main tourist resorts and far from the day-to-day holiday experience most visitors will have.

“This is not Tenerife telling tourists to go home,” says Mr TravelON. “This is one shocking message in the middle of nowhere being used to create a much bigger headline.”

The Canary Islands have seen several waves of protest over the last two years. The original demonstrations raised serious local concerns around housing, rising rents, pressure on services, water use, development, low wages and the feeling that the current tourism model benefits too few people while affecting everyday life for residents.

Mr TravelON says the first major protest had a very different atmosphere from some of the messaging now being pushed online.

“The first protest was powerful,” he says. “There were families, workers, locals and residents making a stand for change. The atmosphere was strong, but it was about the future of the islands. It was about being heard.”

But Mr TravelON believes the message then changed. What began as a serious debate about the tourism model, housing and local quality of life became, in some corners, a much sharper anti-tourism message.

“By the second protest, you could see the difference,” he says. “It felt angrier. There was more shouting, less clear direction and more focus on tourists themselves. That is where the message starts to lose ordinary people.”

Groups using slogans similar to “Less tourists, more life” have continued to gain attention across Spain and the islands. Mr TravelON says he understands the issues, but warns that copying mainland protest tactics does not always fit the Canary Islands.

“Be careful what you wish for,” he says. “Mainland cities like Barcelona and Malaga have real issues, but they do not rely on tourism in the same way the Canary Islands do. Tourism here is not just hotels. It is restaurants, taxis, guides, cleaners, excursions, shops, tradespeople, small businesses and families.”

Mr TravelON says the most important message for travellers is simple: the Canary Islands welcome tourists.

Every day, millions of visitors enjoy Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and the other islands without seeing protests, graffiti or hostility. In the main resorts, tourism remains the heartbeat of the local economy and most people working in the industry continue to welcome visitors as they always have.

“I am on the ground all year,” says Mr TravelON. “I speak to tourists, business owners, workers and residents. The reality in the resorts is not what some of these headlines make it look like. People are on holiday, businesses are open, restaurants are full, excursions are running and the welcome is still there.”

That does not mean the local concerns should be ignored. Housing, rents, wages, water pressure and planning decisions are real political issues. But Mr TravelON says blaming individual holidaymakers is the wrong target.

“The tourist who has saved all year for a week in the sun is not the person writing housing policy,” he says. “They are not building illegal developments, setting rental law or deciding how public money is spent. Shouting at tourists might get attention, but it does not solve the problem.”

For Mr TravelON, the frustration is not only with the graffiti itself, but with how quickly dramatic stories are spread without proper balance.

A single offensive message can travel around the internet faster than a full explanation of where it was found, who saw it, how remote the location was and whether it represents wider public feeling. That creates anxiety for people with holidays booked and damages the image of destinations that depend on visitor confidence.

“This is how easy it is now,” says Mr TravelON. “Someone writes something disgusting, someone takes a photo, and suddenly tourists in the UK are reading that Tenerife or the Canary Islands do not want them. That is not Truth Travel.”

Similar anti-tourism slogans were reported in 2025, and Mr TravelON believes part of the pattern is now about attention. The more shocking the slogan, the more likely it is to be shared.

“That is why I will not be going to this year’s protest,” he says. “They do not need more cameras. They do not need more attention from me. I have covered this story again and again, but at some point you have to ask whether showing up just gives the loudest minority exactly what they want.”

Travellers heading to the Canary Islands should not panic. There is no evidence that ordinary tourists in the main resorts are unsafe because of this graffiti, and there is no reason to cancel a holiday because of a headline about a remote message found away from resort areas.

Visitors should still travel responsibly. Respect local communities, use official paths when hiking, park correctly, avoid leaving rubbish, support local businesses and remember that people live in the places tourists come to enjoy.

Mr TravelON says this is where the message should be focused.

“Good tourists are not the enemy,” he says. “The Canary Islands need tourism, but they also need better decisions, better planning and better protection for local people. Those two things can be true at the same time.”

The danger with anti-tourism graffiti stories is that they turn a complex local debate into a simple fear headline. The reality is more complicated.

Many Canarians are proud of their islands and understand how important tourism is. Many also want change. They want housing to be affordable, wages to be fair, public services to cope, natural spaces to be protected and political leaders to listen.

But that is not the same as telling families, couples, pensioners and first-time visitors that they are not welcome.

Mr TravelON is clear that he does not speak for Canarians or for Spain. After more than 20 years living in the Canary Islands, he still considers himself a visitor. But with a platform, an audience and more than 25 years in tourism, he says he has a responsibility to show the other side.

“I do not speak for the islands,” he says. “But I do see what is happening on the ground, and I will use my voice when I think tourists are being given the wrong picture.”

His final message to holidaymakers is simple:

“The Canary Islands welcome tourists. They always have. Do not let one brick in the middle of nowhere tell you otherwise.”