Moment Brit tourist is dragged away after jumping into Tenerife fountain for £20 bet - as anti-tourist groups say he is the latest example of problematic holidaymakers
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This is the moment a British tourist was dragged away after jumping into a public Tenerife fountain as part of a £20 bet with anti-tourist groups calling him the latest example of problematic holidaymakers.
Footage of the incident which took place at the Fountain of the Americas, located in the Safari Centre, south Tenerife, was uploaded to TikTok by the young man's friends after he dove into the water headfirst.
In the video, a shirtless man donning red swimming trunks and white sliders can be seen gearing up for the bizarre act as his pal waves a 20 euro note in front of his face.
He accepts the bill with a surprised look on his face, before handing it back to his friend along with his sunglasses before making his run up to the fountain in front of baffled onlookers.
The man sprits across the tiled floor, past a number of strolling tourists, and up to the glowing fountain which is surrounded with golden lights.
A young male British tourist was filmed diving headfirst into the Fountain of the Americas in south Tenerife as his end of a £20 bet
He leaped into the fountain from the water feature's edge before he was dragged away by a staff member, and then a security guard
As he reaches the water feature's edge, he jumps up onto the ledge and dives headfirst into the fountain before body-slamming the water and causing a large splash.
An employee can be seen standing by the edge and turning his head away as he is hit by the flying water, while the man's pals laugh in the background.
The young man emerges from the fountain, raising his arms in short-lived victory before the staff member grabs him by the arm and drags him over the ledge.
A security guard then approaches the pair and can be seen escorting the man away before the clip ends.
The footage has angered local Canarians who have slammed the holidaymakers actions, calling him disrespectful and saying he 'portrays an image of tourism that Tenerife doesn't want,' according to Canarian Weekly.
It comes just two weeks after furious locals who orchestrated mass anti-tourism protests across the Canary Islands earlier this year issued a warning to Brit travellers as they vowed to target 'main holidaymaker areas' over the summer period.
Tens of thousands of people already took to the streets of Tenerife on April 20, with roughly 200,000 protesters thought to have taken part in mass demonstrations across the island archipelago.
Prior to those demonstratios, six men and women embarked on a hunger strike for ten days leading up to April 20.
Campaigners claim that the huge influx of tourists to the island is causing major environmental damage, driving down wages and squeezing locals out of cheap affordable housing, forcing dozens to live in tents and cars instead.
One female protestor at the march in April held up a sign which read: 'Fourteen million tourists a year but 36 per cent of Canarians at risk of poverty.'
Female protestors previously revealed that they had been harassed and threatened by tourists and no longer 'feel safe' in their homeland as the streets were flooded with foreigners revelling in drunken debauchery.
'I wouldn't go to the south of the island alone, it is not safe for young women,' one protestor told the Express.
An estimated total of 50,000 citizens in Tenerife took to the streets of the Atlantic archipelago in April to protest against the problems caused by mass tourism and demand their politicians take action.
Thousands of people demonstrate against tourism policies on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain on April 20, 2024
Canary Island natives protest as they call for a rethink of the island cluster's tourism policies
Canary Islanders say the growth of holiday lets is driving locals out of the housing market
The huge crowd massed with banners including one that said: 'You enjoy we suffer' in English
Demonstrators packed into Weyler Square in the Tenerife capital Santa Cruz, the start point for a march on the Brit-popular holiday island, just before midday on April 20 with banners including one that said: 'You enjoy, we suffer' in English.
But the mass anti-tourism drive does not stop in Tenerife, as unions have called for a mass turnout in Sunday's planned anti-tourism march in Mallorca, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
The Secretary of Social Policies and Equality for the General Union of Workers, Xisca Gari, said: 'In the Balearics everything is growing except the quality of life,' while criticising the increase in tourists, flights, and unemployment.
She slammed the fact that 'all the rental offer is aimed at visitors' as residents of Mallorca struggle to find flats to live in 'due to the high prices caused by "touristification"'.
Three unions have now called on the workers of the sunny islands to attend a huge planned demonstration on Sunday.
On July 17, it was also revealed that cruise liners may now decide to boycott popular destinations in Spain, such as Mallorca and Ibiza, if anti-tourism protests and 'violent attitudes' towards holiday-makers continue to escalate.
The warning was issued by leaders of the Cruise Lines International Association which says there are many other ports across the world willing to take tourists without protests.
'Tourismphobia is not only a problem in Spain, but also in France and other Mediterranean countries, but visitors are increasingly sensitive and the violent attitudes that have been seen in places like Barcelona have an impact on the destination's reputation,' said Marie Caroline Laurent, CLIA's European director, during a visit to Madrid.
Alfredo Serrano, CLIA's director in Spain, said there are countries like Saudi Arabia and others in the area that are making 'million-dollar investments' in boosting their tourism sector and welcoming tourists with open arms.
'As the dialogue with the Barcelona council is complicated, for example, it will result in cancellations and discontent among tourists,' the two representatives said at a press conference.
They made an appeal for authorities to stop 'demonising' tourism and start to manage cities in a more efficient way.
