Spain
Demonstrations against mass tourism in the Canary Islands
Demonstration against the mass tourism model in Fuerteventura. photo
© Europa Press Canarias/EUROPA PRESS/dpa
Tourism is of vital importance for the economy of the Canary Islands. Because of the ever-increasing number of visitors, there is growing frustration on the islands. People are now venting their displeasure.
“Canarias se agota” spokesman Victor Martín spoke of a “historic day”. “We are no longer a small group, but a whole people who are going to the barricades,” he was quoted as saying by state TV broadcaster RTVE. The protest will not stop.
“The Canary Islands have a border”
What do you want to achieve? The main concerns are effective monitoring of holiday rental regulations, a limit on the purchase of property by people not resident on the islands and the introduction of an environmental tax on tourists. The protest under the motto “The Canary Islands have a border” was not limited to the islands in the Atlantic off the west coast of Africa. On the Spanish mainland, there were solidarity rallies in Madrid and Barcelona.
A good 2.2 million people live in the Canary Islands. Almost seven times as many foreign tourists visited the islands last year, around 14 million visitors, mainly from Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. There were also around two million Spaniards from the mainland. Most foreign tourists went to the larger islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.
Tourism is essential to the islands’ economy. The industry accounts for 35 percent of economic output and secures 40 percent of jobs. Nevertheless, the Canary Islands are the second poorest among Spain’s 17 autonomous communities, which correspond to the German federal states.
Activists emphasize that they are not fundamentally against tourism, but rather against the gradual destruction of the islands. Biologist and well-known documentary filmmaker Felipe Ravina recently said: “For years we have been promoting ourselves as a unique natural destination in the world, but tourism is destroying the product we sell.”