The latest holiday hotspot to declare war on tourists is Lanzarote – the island beloved by budget-conscious holidaying Brits.

Over 2 million travellers from Britain and Ireland visit the cheapest of the Canary Islands every year – accounting for more than half of their tourist business.

But now some angry locals, fed up with rising property prices and overcrowded beaches, are determined to make less-well-off Brits stay away – and have even launched an aggressive campaign of intimidation to scare them off.

Among the tactics being used is the glueing-up of key boxes outside Airbnb rentals so that tourists can’t get into their apartments at all.

The direct action campaign comes as Lanzarote’s local government is making its own attempt to make the island’s image more upmarket – so that fewer tourists will come but spend more money.

But set against both are business owners and rental property landlords who insist the island will quickly bankrupt itself if it finally stops the huge annual inflow of budget price Brits out of misguided snobbery.

The Daily Mail visited this fraught holiday hotspot to where this summer unsuspecting Brits are set to find themselves on the frontline of the battle for Lanzarote.

And we found that a new direct action strategy which has spread widely across Lanzarote in recent weeks is the sabotage of key boxes. These small, sturdy containers affixed to the exterior walls of rental properties allow holiday makers equipped with a PIN-code to get the keys to their rental property – often Airbnbs – without having to meet the landlord.

Angry locals in the Canary Island have launched an aggressive campaign of intimidation to scare British tourists off

Lanzarote is the latest holiday hotspot to declare war on tourists 

Among the tactics being used to scare off tourists is the glueing-up of key boxes outside Airbnb rentals so that tourists can’t get into their apartments at all

Over 2 million travellers from Britain and Ireland visit the cheapest of the Canary Islands every year – accounting for more than half of their tourist business

The wider Canary Islands have already received 5.69 million international tourists during the first four months of 2026

But as they are easy to identify they are easy to target and an increasing number have been vandalised in recent weeks. Footage shared last week by local platforms like ‘Islas de Resistencia’ and ‘Colectivo Tabaiba’ show lock boxes for holiday flats being sabotaged with extra-strong glue.

Another strategy is the use of fake police tape to cordon off popular tourist spots like beach access paths and mark them as closed.

One video shows a volcanic beauty spot being cordoned off with red and white tape and a fake ‘no entry’ sign being erected, in a bid to keep tourists out.

Activists also filmed themselves placing messages on rental cars, which tell holidaymakers that by using tourist flats they are ‘contributing to our displacement’.

Another widely circulated card reads: ‘We have nowhere to live – Travel responsibly, don’t be complicit in this business.’

Alongside these has been a new wave of graffiti sprayed late at night on highly visible sites across the island with English language slogans like ‘Tourists go home’.

But those behind such direct action have their work cut out – because projections are that the 2026 season could be one of the biggest ever seen here.

Experts predict a surge in booking numbers because Spanish resorts are seen as safe havens while the US-Israel-Iran conflict in the Middle East rumbles on – whereas places more proximate to the war like Dubai, Turkey and even Greece are perceived as more risky.

The wider Canary Islands have already received 5.69 million international tourists during the first four months of 2026, representing a year-on-year increase, according to Spain’s National Institute of Statistics – with the summer season just starting in earnest.

But many residents are concerned that their infrastructure will struggle to cope with any more tourists.

The government admitted to the Daily Mail that it wants to attract ‘better quality’ – i.e. wealthier – tourists instead.

But figures suggest plans to try to change the perception of Lanzarote into being more high end – closer to Ibiza than Benidorm – have so far struggled.

And instead of rising as intended, prices at both four and five-star hotels fell repeatedly over the last six-months. And five-star hotels charged an average of €353 per night in March, down 2 per cent on the same month last year, following declines of 3 per cent in February and 2 per cent in January.

It seems there simply isn’t the demand at that higher price point to drive a cultural shift in the type of budget of people who want a holiday here.

Meanwhile many residents complain they are being subjected to weekly water cuts.

They say hotels and tourist towns are prioritised but residential villages are left cut off for up to six days at a time.

And at the same time the housing crisis continues to spiral out of control – which in turn is making labour shortages a huge problem so that restaurants and bars that service the Brits abroad are struggling to keep going.

One local, Javier Ruiz, 45, told how he recently has had no option but to live in his car – which he shares with his pet poodle – due to exorbitant rents.

But he refused to blame tourists for his plight.

‘Tourism is how we live for god’s sake,’ he told the Daily Mail while sitting on a sun chair outside a shopping centre. ‘Tourists have always been a good thing here and always will be – the more people who come the better.’

He conceded that tourism has contributed to the housing crisis in Lanzarote but says it is something that the government must fix – and that scarring tourists away won’t help.

After a year back on his home island Guillermo Lopez, 27, says it is plain that Lanzarote ‘cannot cope’ with the number of people coming on holiday here.

The car rental worker, who moved back home to Lanzarote from Madrid last year, told the Daily Mail: ‘Things have definitely changed for the worse if you’re a local, the amount of people coming has grown like crazy and the resources on the island are limited.

‘The housing situation has become the worst ever because everything has turned into holiday rentals and Airbnbs.

Guillermo Lopez says it is plain that Lanzarote ‘cannot cope’ with the number of people coming on holiday here

Many residents complain they are being subjected to weekly water cuts, saying hotels and tourist towns are prioritised 

‘For a local it’s almost impossible to find anything available and the few places that are have unaffordable prices.

‘I have finally found an apartment after having to live with my mother for a year. But many others are homeless.

‘And in some villages the water supply is only on for one day a week, so people don’t have water in their homes – but at the same time there are loads of hotels with thousands of guests and big swimming pools using the water.’

Guillermo said any further increase in holidaymakers this year would place impossible strain on resources.

He added: ‘The island is not prepared to accommodate the amount of people coming in as well as the locals, and also to protect the natural environment of the island which is the main attraction for tourists.’

However, he said tourism ‘is essential’ for the island, adding: ‘We need it to survive and sustain ourselves and the island, but the government needs to control the situation by improving infrastructure and regulating housing.’

Yoana Cedres owns a clothes store in the old town area of Puerto del Carmen.

Yoana Cedres, who owns a clothes store in the old town area of Puerto del Carmen, says tourism is a ‘double-edged sword’

She branded tourism a ‘double-edged sword’, telling the Daily Mail: ‘We need to get the balance right, especially if more people are coming this year.’

The businesswoman – who recently saw a residential block near her converted into holiday lets – said trying to recruit staff is a ‘nightmare’ due to the lack of housing following years of tourist flats expansion.

She said: ‘If anything I would like to see more tourists because that is what my business relies on, I need footfall.

‘But no one can afford to live nearby, so recruitment is a problem for a lot of businesses.

‘But ultimately the failures in infrastructure management are not the tourists’ fault – the government needs to prepare the island better.’

According to a March report from Idealista, rental prices in the Canaries rose by 7.8 per cent over the previous 12 months.

It makes the region the fourth most expensive in Spain for renters, behind only Madrid, the Balearic Islands and Catalonia.

‘It’s very hard to live here for local people, they have to get a flat share and live in the capital away from the resorts,’ added homeless Javier.

‘If you want to rent in Puerto del Carmen or Playa Blanca as a worker you can forget it, it’s impossible.’

British expat Luke Mousley, a 35-year-old from York who runs three bars in Lanzarote, said that local anger is mostly about tourist flats, which he says have been allowed to get out of control because of the government’s lack of a tougher housing policy.

He insists it’s the flats some tourists stay in that may be targeted rather than tourists themselves who he hopes will continue to come in their droves.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘We’re ready for a busy summer, we’ve even got extra staff on call in case it gets too crazy, but we still don’t know how it’s going to play out.

‘At the end of the day Lanzarote has always worked well for full English breakfasts and cheap pints, that’s our DNA, and there are lots of people looking for that this year.

‘There is a movement to try and make this island more luxury-focused but it’s not going to take off – if you want somewhere posh you can go to Mallorca.’

Semi-retired Mike Allsop, 62, from Smethwick, has lived on the island for 27 years and has run various bars and tattoo shops there.

Mike Allsop said the government needs to embrace the tourists and that pivoting to five star tourism would be a mistake

He said Lanzarote is ‘mostly fully booked’ for the summer.

‘September to December is going to be much busier this year, too,’ he said.

‘Flight prices are higher but it’s still much cheaper when you get here.’

Mike said the government needs to embrace the tourists and that pivoting to five star tourism would be a mistake.

He said: ‘The more five star hotels there are, the more you take out of bars’ pockets, as tourists stay at the resort and don’t spend on local transport or activities.

‘I also think the government’s plan for “higher quality” tourists is terribly offensive, they might as well say they don’t want the bargain basement lot coming over.

‘But they make the island what it is, they save up for a year to bring the whole family and are willing to spend at the go kart tracks, the water parks etc.’

Barman at the Galleon II pub Paul Melville, 55, from Glasgow, said tourists have told him they are still coming to Lanzarote despite the flights being pricier.

‘They’re coming anyway because they are still getting good deals on accommodation and people want the bargains.

‘We are preparing for a busy summer, definitely, I think Spain is being seen as a safe haven with all that’s going on.’

The island’s government-backed tourism board, SPEL-Turismo Lanzarote, told the Daily Mail that the coming months ‘are marked by uncertainty’, but that ‘the outlook for the summer season remains positive’.

It added: ‘However, our objective is not growth for growth’s sake, but rather to continue advancing towards a model that prioritises quality, added value, profitability for the local economy and a better distribution of tourist flows.’

When asked about fears of overcrowding this year, it said ‘Lanzarote must responsibly manage periods of increased tourist pressure’.

It said: ‘The issue is not simply how many visitors arrive, but how they are distributed, what impact they generate and how they coexist with residents’ daily lives.

‘In Lanzarote, we are trying to avoid situations of overcrowding that could damage the destination’s image, worsen the holiday experience for visitors and negatively affect the quality of life of the local community.

‘Alongside better distribution of visitors, management of tourist flows and infrastructure improvements, visitor volume and carrying capacity are concepts that must also be regulated through planning tools and legal frameworks.

‘Lanzarote’s public institutions support this approach and are actively working towards it.’

It agreed that tourism is an ‘essential activity’ for Lanzarote but that ‘it must develop in balance with the real needs of those who live here.’

‘The destination does not want either tourists or residents to suffer from excessive pressure,’ it said.

The island’s government-backed tourism board said tourism is an ‘essential activity’ for Lanzarote but that ‘it must develop in balance with the real needs of those who live here’

Rental prices in the Canaries rose by 7.8 per cent over the previous 12 months

Tourism is a ‘Catch 22’ – the number of people visiting is becoming unsustainable, but without the money they bring in, the island will struggle to pay for infrastructure upgrades

‘Therefore, we are focused on continuing to consolidate a tourism model based on improving the quality of our offering and the type of visitor we attract…

‘The future is not about attracting more visitors at any cost, but about attracting visitors who contribute more value while preserving the qualities that make Lanzarote special.’

The solutions to the island’s problems are not clear.

A recurring phrase we heard was ‘Catch 22’ – the number of tourists is becoming unsustainable, but without the money they bring in, the island will struggle to pay for desperately needed infrastructure upgrades.