Holidaymakers in Lanzarote have faced a series of disruptive protests, including key boxes being glued shut and access to popular tourist spots being obstructed.
Footage circulating on social media shows demonstrators applying powerful adhesive to lock boxes used by holiday rental proprietors, potentially leaving arriving guests unable to enter their accommodation.
The boxes, typically fixed to the exterior of properties, hold keys that can be accessed using a PIN code provided by hosts.
In a separate demonstration, protesters were captured on camera placing red-and-white tape and unofficial warning notices around tourist destinations, including pathways leading to volcanic viewpoints, in what appears to be an effort to deter visitors.
Photographs appearing online also reveal stickers placed on holiday rental properties bearing messages such as: “Your tourism kills our land.”
Demonstrators claim they are highlighting what they perceive as the consequences of mass tourism on local communities, particularly escalating housing costs and a lack of affordable homes for residents.
Some protesters have also left messages on rental vehicles cautioning visitors that they are “contributing to our displacement”.
One message read: “By choosing this holiday home in our village, you are contributing to our displacement. We have nowhere to live. Travel responsibly. Don’t be complicit in this business.”
Graffiti featuring slogans including “Tourists go home” has also emerged across parts of the island. The demonstrations coincide with record-breaking visitor figures for Lanzarote. More than 400,000 travellers arrived from UK airports during the first three months of 2026, according to figures reported by local media.
Residents’ groups across Spain’s most popular tourist destinations have become increasingly vocal about the effects of short-term holiday lets and surging visitor numbers on local housing markets.
Comparable unrest has been reported elsewhere across Spain. Earlier this year, hundreds of Airbnb key boxes in Granada were allegedly glued shut during a coordinated campaign against holiday rentals.
Sweeping demonstrations against mass tourism swept across Spain last summer, with campaigners contending that the proliferation of short-term lets is making it ever harder for local residents to secure affordable housing.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
