Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Spain’s Canary Islands on Saturday to demand changes to the mass tourism model they say is straining the Atlantic archipelago.
Gathering under the slogan “The Canary Islands have a limit”, protesters began demonstrating at noon (1100 GMT), flag-waving crowds filling the streets of the main cities of all seven islands in the archipelago.
Singing and whistling, they waved signs and banners with slogans that read: “The Canary Islands are not for sale!” or “A moratorium on tourism”, while others simply said: “Respect my home”.
Organizers say mass tourism perpetuates an economic model that harms local residents and demand authorities limit numbers.
Police said 20,000 protesters attended the demonstrations, but organizers estimated the number was closer to 50,000, Spanish public television reported.
“We are not against tourism,” a protester named Rosario Correo told Spanish public television TVE.
“We ask you to change this model that allows unlimited growth in tourism.”
They call for the suspension of work on two new hotels in Tenerife, the largest and most developed of the seven islands in the archipelago.
And they also want residents to have a greater say in what they see as uncontrolled development that is harming the environment.
“The government and regional leaders of the islands must stop this corrupt model of endless growth that is based on the destruction of the environment and that only weakens the economy,” said another protester named Alfonso Boullon.
Protesters also gathered in Madrid and Barcelona to show their support for demonstrations in the Canary Islands, public television reported.
Anti-tourism protests have multiplied in recent months in Spain, the second most visited country in the world, leading authorities to try to reconcile the interests of local inhabitants and a profitable sector that represents 12.8 percent of the Spanish economy.
The islands, which lie off the northwest coast of Africa, are known for their volcanic landscapes and year-round sunshine, attracting millions of visitors every year.
About four in 10 residents work in tourism, which accounts for 36 percent of the islands’ GDP, official figures show.
Last week, several members of the “Canárias Esgotadas” collective also began a hunger strike “for an indefinite period” to put pressure on the authorities.
Last year, around 16 million people visited the Canary Islands, more than seven times its population of around 2.2 million, which the collective considers unsustainable given the archipelago’s limited resources.
Before the pandemic brought the global travel industry to its knees in 2020, protest movements against overtourism were already active in Spain, particularly in Barcelona.
After these travel restrictions were lifted, tourism soared, with Spain welcoming a record 85.1 million visitors last year.
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