Scrutinizing the economic model of the Canary Islands. Just when it seemed like everything was going smoothly in the tourism sector, with record numbers of visitors and tourist spending in 2023, a critical trend has emerged that seeks to shake the foundations of an activity that sustains a large part of the Canary society. The tourism sector already accounts for 35% of the GDP of Canarias and nearly 40% of employment, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism. So, where does the discontent come from? A percentage of the Canary population sees tourism as the culprit of all their woes. They attribute the housing shortage, road congestion, and uneven demographic growth to the sector, among other things, but behind these issues is not the arrival of visitors or the decline in air travel. The key lies in achieving an economic model that also protects the local population. Tourismphobia has not deeply rooted itself in the islands yet, but the planned protest on April 20 against the over-tourism of the Archipelago under the slogan Canarias tiene un límite is a spark that, if turned into a fire, could greatly harm the Canary economy.
Is over-tourism really an issue? A total of 13,942,966 foreign tourists visited the Canary Islands in 2023, the second-best historical year, a figure that represents a 13.1% increase from 2022 and 6.1% higher than 2019. In February 2024 alone, 1.4 million tourists from other countries arrived, a 14% increase compared to the same period in 2023. The numbers are high, but there is “neither congestion nor collapse.” Experts conclude that in the Canary Islands, there is “no general problem of congestion and overtourism.” This was stated in a 2023 report on the Sustainability of Tourism in the Canary Islands carried out by researchers from the two public universities in the Archipelago. The document clarifies that the negative aspects that the activity – like any other – can generate occur not because of the arrival of visitors, but due to a deficit in resource management. Therefore, the existing problem is one of management, which leads to disadvantages for citizens.
Have there been protests in the past? So far, protests held in the islands, mostly in Tenerife, have been carried out in defense of specific issues. Such as those against high-voltage towers in protected areas near Teide, against Repsol’s oil explorations off the coast of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, or against the port of Granadilla, in Tenerife. The complaints of the local population are also reflected in anti-tourist graffiti that appear in complexes across the Archipelago with phrases like “Tourist go home,” “My misery is your paradise,” or “Go back to your home.” Additionally, there have been sporadic protests at airports in the islands.
Why are the protests arising now? The promised economic diversification, which has been pledged for years, has yet to take off, and locals are starting to feel like “foreigners” in their own land, especially due to difficulties in accessing housing. With limited available housing – almost no public housing has been built in the last 20 years – prices are not in line with the community, which has the second lowest average salary in Spain, at 22,466 euros gross. This makes it impossible for locals to compete with the purchasing power of English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, or Italian nationals who see the islands as an ideal destination to buy their second home. Added to this is the discontent caused by images spread on social media of groups of tourists who do not respect protected natural areas by bathing in the Jameos del Agua (Lanzarote) or invading the Dunas de Maspalomas (Gran Canaria).
Have the complaints reached the countries of origin? Some international media have picked up on what is happening in the islands, and even the British press labels it as “tourismphobia.” The tabloid Daily Mail published several articles on the topic with headlines like “Tenerife goes to war against the British,” narrating the rejection that visitors face when they step foot on the island. Media outlets where these reports appear are already discussing “boycotting” the destination in response, as was the case this week on Good Morning Britain, the morning show on ITV. The president of Ashotel and the Spanish hotel association Cehat, Jorge Marichal, states that hotels have received calls from tourists inquiring “if it was safe to travel to Tenerife.” There are also cases of long-term private rentals that have already informed their tenants that they will not return to the Archipelago after seeing the graffiti. “We do not want to be part of even greater destruction,” argues a German couple to Inés, a local who rents out her house in the north of Tenerife.
What is the stance of the regional government? Both the government and the business associations have already expressed their “concern” and “unease” about the upcoming protest on April 20. The government is calling for “common sense.” “Those who come to enjoy, spend a few days, and leave their money in Canarias should not be accosted,” said the Canary Islands president, Fernando Clavijo (CC). Vice President, Manuel Domínguez (PP), was more forceful when he questioned:
Are We Willing to Shoot Ourselves in the Foot?
Meanwhile, Ashotel’s vice president, Gabriel Wolgeschaffen, warned that “we shouldn’t touch the cow that gives milk.”
What Measures Have Been Implemented? Protests are linked to the hardships faced by citizens in areas such as housing, water, and transport. The regional government has initiated some measures aimed at addressing these issues. For instance, the urgent measures law approved by the Executive in March to tackle the current housing emergency in the archipelago. This law increases the availability of land and the use of buildings intended for housing. Additionally, this week the government introduced the new law on holiday rentals aimed at curbing the excessive growth experienced in the Canary Islands in recent years in tourist accommodation, giving absolute priority to residential use of properties. The government has also set out to address the tremendous and uneven demographic growth experienced in the last two decades in the islands, incorporating this factor into the amendment of the Land Law to streamline the administrative tangle hindering territorial cohesion. The President of the Canary Islands has convened a conference of island presidents scheduled for April 30 to address the demographic challenge, depopulation of rural areas, and tourist zones.
What Other Measures are Pending? The commitment to sustainability is a key element in understanding the grievances that have emerged in the islands regarding tourism. Both the previous and current administrations have started discussing measures such as restricting access to protected areas or implementing an eco-tax. The latter would involve setting a fixed amount for each night’s stay in tourist accommodation. Other regions such as the Balearic Islands, Barcelona, and various parts of Europe already have this in place. With Ángel Víctor Torres (PSOE) as president, the four groups forming the government (PSOE, NC, Podemos, and ASG) failed to reach a consensus. Now, the current councillor for the area, Jéssica de León (PP), has expressed openness to discussing it, but doubts its effectiveness.
What Are the Protesters Demanding? Activists behind the upcoming protest on April 20 reject being accused of promoting tourismphobia. “This is not against tourism (…), what we ask is for no more construction. For years, we’ve been promoting ourselves as a unique nature destination in the world, but tourism is deteriorating the product we are selling. The numbers of tourists are unsustainable from a social and environmental perspective,” says biologist and documentarian Felipe Ravina in a video shared on social media. “A temporary tourist and holiday moratorium would allow us to halt this growth and make room for new ways of doing things,” he adds.
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