More than 230 sunbeds have been vandalised on popular beaches in Tenerife, the latest in a string of protests against overtourism in the Canary Islands.
Authorities said that sunbeds have been spray-painted and others had their material slashed last week in the area of Arona on the island, Canarian Weekly reports.
Arona council said 100 sunbeds had been damaged at the popular Las Vistas Beach, while a further 136 had been destroyed at El Camisón Beach next door, with over €5,000 (£4,139) worth of damage, according to the local news outlet.
Vandals had also defaced the exterior walls of a nearby shopping centre with graffiti, displaying anti-tourism slogans such as “Canarias se defiende” (the Canary Islands defend themselves) and “Canarias no se vende” (the Canary Islands are not for sale).
Fátima Lemes, the mayor of Arona, has criticised the vandalism, saying the acts are “an attack on the heritage of Arona” that harms both residents and visitors.
Lemes added that vandalism like this is punishable by law and is calling on the public to help identify those responsible.
“The people of Arona are very conscious of protecting our environment, but unfortunately, there are always exceptions that threaten the common good, which is like attacking all of us,” she said.
Authorities are working to repair the sunbeds and restore the area for public use.
Braulio Melián Pérez, the manager of El Enyesque SL, the company that manages beach services near Los Cristianos, told the Canarian Weekly that they have “been without beach police for two years,” and called for nighttime patrollers to be reintroduced in the area.
Melián Pérez added that nearly 10 per cent of their 1,100 loungers had been destroyed, and replacing the damaged beds could take up to a month.
“This is the largest attack we’ve faced in eight years,” Melián Pérez added. “Nearly all the people who use these loungers are holidaymakers. This was a direct attack on them, and, by extension, on the local economy.”
The incident comes after months of tourism protests and criticism of the industry by locals in the Canary Islands.
On 20 April, thousands took to the streets of Tenerife to protest against mass tourism, calling for a limit of tourist arrivals to alleviate pressure on the island’s environment and housing market.
Protests flared up again in late October, when thousands of locals gathered at popular beach resorts in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and El Hierro and called for a change in the tourism model for the islands.
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