The demonstration called last Saturday in the south of Tenerife by nine environmental and conservation groups left moments of tension between part of the attendees and some tourists. CEOE-Tenerife issued a statement yesterday in which it described the progress of the tourismphobia, phenomenon that has permeated Barcelona or the Balearic Islands. Meanwhile, the report Sustainability of Tourism in Canary Islands 2022, prepared by the ULPGC and the ULL points out that 80.1% of the citizens de las Islas «agree with the statement ‘tourism development has been positive for the island and its inhabitants».
The protest ran between Las Américas and Los Cristianos. Among the posters carried by the participants, slogans such as “Uncontrolled tourism kills the Islands”, “Tourism yes, but not like this”, could be read. “Canary Islands not for sale” or “Tourist go home» (Tourist, go home), among others.
“What’s wrong with you, monkey?”
At one point there was an unfriendly verbal interaction between the protesters and a foreign visitor, a moment that registered a smartphone and has had an impact on social networks. “What’s the matter with you, monkey? go home!!!», cries a member of the protest while the visitor makes rejection gestures.
The Minister of Tourism of the Government of the Canary Islands, Yaiza Castilla, described as “regrettable” the event. In a recent parliamentary intervention, he pointed out that of the total population of the Islands, “83.2% agree to continue promoting tourism.” It is another of the data that includes the work signed by the two Canarian academic institutions, and which also highlights that “the islands with the highest ratio between tourists and resident population, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura», are also those that present «the highest values» when evaluating «the benefits of tourism».
Activity management is not among the big concerns
“These are specific data that place us in a very different scenario from what some voices would have us believe,” Castilla explained. In fact, the last of these two islands is the one that supports the “greatest tourist pressure” and, nevertheless, it is where the most “social support has the affirmation that tourism must continue to be promoted.” In the survey carried out by the Profiles Institute and that THE PROVINCIA has been publishing in recent days, The management of the accommodation activity is not among the main concerns of the Canaries.
During the electoral campaign that ends on Friday, the main nutrient of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Canary Islands has played a leading role. In general terms, virtually no one disputes the need to keep tourism strong. The big difference compared to a few years ago is the combination of its robustness with sustainability.
There is also no margin for the opposite because The demands set by all the administrations, led by the European Union (EU), imply the need to prevent the accommodation activity from further eroding the environment. In addition, the businessmen themselves know that raising the pressure beyond what is reasonable threatens the product they offer –starting with the climate– and among tourists, sustainability is one of the factors that tilts the balance to a greater extent when they decide the destination for their holidays.
Fuerteventura is the island under the most pressure and the one that most supports promoting the accommodation business
«In a democratic society like ours, disagreement and criticism are healthy and necessary. But it is also necessary to start from reality for any serious analysis. And the reality is that in the Canary Islands there is, in no case, a majority feeling of tourismophobia or anything similar to it, “said the counselor in a general analysis that she placed above specific facts.
Among the employers in the sector, absolute silence reigns. The self-imposed pact aims to not form part of the electoral campaign or feed the discourse of the formations most related to the groups that called for the protest last weekend. The clash between the Podemos candidate for Parliament, Noemi Santanaand the president of Ashotel, Jorge Marichal, the end point was considered.
Better, away from the political focus
She called him “exploitative” at a pre-campaign rally, he threatened her with the courts, Santana ratified his disqualification and from there the business representative decided that for his part it is better to live away from the political focus. And with him, the rest of the collective in the Islands. “We do not live from the elections,” said a hotel owner yesterday.
However, CEOE-Tenerife, an employers’ association that encompasses all sectors, did decide to respond to the events that occurred on Saturday. “This expression of rejection and hostility towards tourism can leave a significant mark on the tourism industry and therefore endanger employment in our Archipelago,” they explained in a statement titled “They do not represent us.”
No one disputes the need to increase the degree of sustainability of the facilities anymore
businessmen They blame “various groups” for the outbreak that claim issues such as “a moratorium” or “the implementation of the ecotax.” However, this last matter has also entered the campaign at the hands of parties far from tourismophobia, such as the PSOE itself.
