- 57,000 protestors demand change to mass tourism model in Canary Islands
- Demonstrations across all seven islands for eco-tax, tourism moratorium
- Concerns over overcrowding and housing market effects on locals
Tens of thousands of protestors have taken to the streets of the Canary Islands in Spain to alter the mass tourism model that, in their view, is ruining the Atlantic archipelago.
The protests, which commenced at noon (11:00 GMT) on Saturday, attracted an estimated 57,000 participants, according to Spanish media reports that cited the representative of the central government in the islands.
Demonstrators adorned the thoroughfares of the principal cities spanning all seven islands of the archipelago, waving flags and carrying placards emblazoned with catchphrases such as “The Canary Islands are not for sale,” “A tourism moratorium,” and “Respect my home.”
An individual participating in the demonstration in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of Tenerife, told Reuters, “It is not a message against tourists, but rather against a tourism model that fails to benefit this land and must be revised.”
Other cities in the island group and Spain played host to smaller marches, all of which were coordinated by approximately twenty environmental organizations before the height of the summer vacation season.
Twenty social and environmental organizations, alleging that tourism overcrowding sustains an economic model that harms local inhabitants and degrades the environment, organized the demonstrations.
They have proposed the implementation of an eco-tax to safeguard the environment, a moratorium on tourism, and stricter regulations on the sale of properties to non-residents to restrict the influx of visitors.
“This corrupt and destructive model, which depletes resources and makes the economy more precarious, must be stopped immediately by the authorities.” “People’s patience and the Canary Islands both have their limits,” one of the protest leaders, Antonio Bullon, told Reuters.
“We cannot continue to look away”
According to official data, the archipelago of 2.2 million inhabitants received nearly 14 million foreign visitors in 2023, a 13 percent increase from the previous year.
Local authorities are concerned about the effects on the inhabitants of the islands. A proposed legislation that is anticipated to be enacted this year would enforce stricter regulations on short-term rentals in response to grievances raised by residents who have been pricing out of the housing market.
President of the Canary Islands Fernando Clavijo stated on Friday that he was “proud” of the region’s status as a prominent tourist destination in Spain, but acknowledged that additional regulations were necessary as the industry expanded.
“We can no longer avert our gaze. “Otherwise, there will be no control over the opening of hotels,” he stated at a press conference.
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The surge in anti-tourism demonstrations in Spain, the second-most visited country globally, over the past few months has compelled authorities to attempt to reconcile the concerns of local inhabitants with those of a profitable industry that contributes 12.8 percent to Spain’s gross domestic product.
Off the northwestern coast of Africa, the Canary Islands are renowned for their year-round sunshine and volcanic terrains, which attract millions of tourists annually. Tourism is the largest industry, supporting 36 percent of the island’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employing four out of every ten residents.
Before the worldwide travel industry’s collapse in 2020 caused by the coronavirus pandemic, protest movements against overtourism were already underway in Spain, particularly in Barcelona.
Following the relaxation of travel restrictions, Spain experienced a tremendous upswing in tourism, receiving an unprecedented 85.1 million visitors in the previous year.
