The protest held on April 20, with the slogan Canary Islands has a limit For a change of model!, is evoking varied reactions within Canarian society. Eduardo Solís, who served as Ashotel’s manager for eight years and is the general coordinator of Grupo Calínico Hoteleros x Tenerife, shared his thoughts on the demonstration with this publication. Solís acknowledged the “great confusion among the Canarians” about the implications of the protest. “Some individuals show up at the airport with banners saying: Tourist Go Home, when in reality, tourists are blameless and hence the protest ensues. The real issue lies with the politicians, not the tourists,” he stressed.
Eduardo Solís underlined that “no one or nothing has yet prompted the leaders of the Canary Islands to react and redefine the tourism model,” but he also specified: “We need to be clear about our demands from the authorities during the protest.” “At present, there is no substitute for tourism. We need to explore supplementary ventures alongside enhancing infrastructure,” expressed the former Ashotel manager.
The Calinico coordinator highlighted that “Tenerife has witnessed a lack of oversight and the absence of credible schemes to address the underlying tourism issues.” He further asserted that “the politicians have mishandled the situation,” holding them accountable for being “negligent and inadequate.”
