UK tourists in Spain told to 'go home' as Spanish government responds to demand

UK tourists in Spain have been told to "go home" by fed up locals - as the Spanish government has said they may be forced to step in.

Demonstrations are brewing in popular British holiday destinations like Tenerife and Lanzarote, as residents of Canary Islands begin to grumble over "overtourism".

The Spanish government has threatened a clampdown on holiday apartments amidst growing dissatisfaction over housing issues. Locals have become concerned that a mere 2.4% of houses in Spain are public, a number dwarfed by the European average of 9%, reports BirminghamLive.

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Housing Minister Isabel Rodriguez disclosed in an interview with Cadena Ser Radio on Thursday, that the state might step in directly to curb the proliferation of holiday apartments. Admitting a gaping deficit of 1.5 million in public housing, the Minister remains optimistic that resolving this issue would make rents and purchase prices far more amenable.

Voicing agreement with disgruntled residents, Jorge Marichal, president of regional hotel association ASHOTEL, recently expressed his empathy on COPE radio station.

Each year, millions of Brits visit Lanzarote, Tenerife, Ibiza, Menorca and Majorca. UK tourists also flock to Spanish gems such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, Seville and beyond.

Speaking before the planned protests on April 20, Marichal said: "It pains me because people confuse the message. We don't have to be anti-tourist. What we have to do is demand infrastructures in accordance with the tourist model that's been chosen."

He added: "And we have to understand that the tourist model has changed because of technology and Airbnb and the fact property owners have converted