Jose Manuel Bermúdez, the mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, has proposed a thoughtful discussion on the implications of tourism on the development of the Canary Islands. He emphasized that the real issue is not tourists, but rather the significant demographic growth in the Canary Islands that requires attention in terms of healthcare, social services, sports, and culture infrastructure.
Bermúdez noted that Santa Cruz presently has a population of 211,000 residents and has experienced minimal demographic growth over the past two decades. He highlighted, “On Tenerife, we have already surpassed one million residents. This is the current reality that we need to assess, as a substantial portion of the infrastructure and service challenges in the Canary Islands arise from the lack of alignment between the response and the annual increase in demand. Over the last decade, the Canary Islands have witnessed an influx of nearly 50,000 residents annually.”.
Bermúdez pointed out the need for scrutinizing our readiness to manage such a demographic surge.
Carlos Tarife, the first deputy mayor, urged against the upcoming protest scheduled for April 20 being directed against tourists. He highlighted that tourism contributes 40% to the GDP of the Canary Islands, implying that the demonstration should be aimed at politicians who have not been proactive in ensuring sustainability in recent years, a task the city council has been diligently working on. Tarife emphasized, “Santa Cruz has long been dedicated to fostering sustainability. The efforts in this regard have been extensive and commendable. This should be our guiding path.” Although he conveyed his “respect” for the protestors, Tarife cautioned against scapegoating tourists as he believes it is a misguided approach.
