Canary Islands protest against tourists

In Spain, large-scale protests against tourism took place in the Canary Islands.

Thousands of locals, organized by environmental organizations on the islands ahead of the summer holiday season, are protesting against mass tourism. How tells Reuters, last Sunday they held rallies to call on authorities to temporarily limit the influx of travelers. Demonstrators are demanding that short-term rental housing be made more difficult and the construction of new hotels limited. One of them explains:

“This is not a protest against tourists, but against a tourism model that does not benefit this land and needs to change.”

Demonstrations took place in different cities of the island group. Environmentalists are proposing to temporarily limit the number of tourists on the islands to reduce pressure on the environment, infrastructure and housing stock, as well as introduce restrictions on the purchase of real estate by foreigners. Antonio Bullon, one of the protest leaders, says:

“Canary Islands protest against mass tourism has limits, and so does people's patience.”

At the same time, Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo said he was “proud that the region is a leading Spanish tourist destination” but acknowledged that greater controls were needed on the tourism sector as it continued to grow.

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