BRITS jetting off to four holiday hotspots this summer have been warned they could face misery upon arrival.
Fed up locals from European hotspots have refused to rule out targeting airports to deter holidaymakers.
An anti-tourism protests in Barcelona, Spaingetty
Riot police manage the crowds in Barcelonagetty
A poster in Palma de Mallorca, Spain reads ‘It’s time to stop’ REUTERS/Stringer
Spain, Italy, France and Portugal are among the reported places where anti-tourism protests are taking place.
Locals pledge mass tourism has fuelled soaring rents and a lack of affordable homes.
As a result, accommodation is snapped up for tourist lets and land bought for building resorts.
The alert comes as millions of us are planning sunshine getaways.
At a summit in Barcelona, protestor Elena Boschi yesterday told the Mirror: “We want tourists to have some level of fear about the situation – without fear there is no change.”
The English language teacher, 46, a campaigner from Genoa, on the Italian riviera, continued: “Our cities and regions are not for sale and there is an urgent need to limit the growth of tourism, demand a change of course and decide on a path to tourism de-growth as a way out.”
It comes as locals from the Canary Islands plotted mass protests, meanwhile the government ripped up its tourism rulebook.
Holiday hotspots like Tenerife are also bracing for a summer of unrest as residents rise up against what they claim is a “predatory model” of tourism that’s pushed locals to the brink.
Activists have vowed to storm popular tourist attractions, disrupt public events and “confront political leaders” in a fiery new phase of protests kicking off May 18 — right as peak holiday season begins.
“From now on, we will take our fight to the very spaces where their predatory model is perpetuated,” declared pressure group Canarias tiene un límite (The Canaries Have a Limit).
“We will boycott public events, confront political leaders during their appearances and occupy symbolic tourist spaces to make it clear that we will not stop until real change is achieved.”
The movement — now spreading beyond Tenerife — insists it’s no longer business as usual for tourism in the region.
“The Canary Islands can no longer be a postcard backdrop for the enjoyment of a privileged few,” the statement read.
Locals pledge mass tourism has fuelled soaring rents and a lack of affordable homesJordi Boixareu/Alamy Life News