Santa Cruz de Tenerife 11 Feb. (Europa Press) –
The social movement ‘Canary Islands has a limit’ has organised a protest today at 11.30 am as a form of boycott against the ‘FVW Travel Talk’ Congress, which is set to take place in Tenerife and focuses on the German tourism sector.
The Telesforo Bravo Foundation, one of the groups within the platform, has expressed concern via social media that “mass tourism is wreaking havoc on the Canary Islands,” citing an “entirely unsustainable” influx of nearly 18 million tourists in the previous year.
“There is no boundary, and tourism keeps escalating uncontrollably, leading the islands towards an ecological and social disaster. We are still swimming in contaminated waters and facing endless traffic jams daily, while tourism continues to rise and these issues worsen.”
In this regard, they have argued that “holidaymakers are confronted with countless rental options, while local residents find it nearly impossible to secure a home for themselves.”
They believe that “protected natural areas are not adequately safeguarded, and visitors treat the Canary Islands as if it were a theme park, behaving as they please.”
The Foundation emphasised that “locals” can no longer enjoy the islands’ unique sites “without being surrounded by crowds of tourists, and the list of grievances is extensive.”
It has also voiced criticism towards the Canary Islands government for having “ignored the residents” following the “historic demonstrations” last year, noting that the Canary Islands “is leading Spain in poverty and social exclusion,” with a tourism model that “fails to create wealth for the local community.”
