Protesters have taken to the streets in their thousands with a set of specific demands calling on the Spanish government to dramatically curb the negative impact of overtourism
Holidaymakers have been left scared to leave their rooms after thousands of people took to the streets in fierce anti-tourism protests ahead of the summer holidays.
Fed up locals have made their frustrations clear in the Canary Islands as peak tourism season nears, with an estimated 7,000 people marching through the streets and promenades in Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife, alone The massive protests have been echoed on each of the territory’s six other islands, including Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura, with organisers saying the sunkissed Spanish islands – which are extremely popular especially with British tourists – “have a limit”.
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Organisers – the protest group “The Canary Islands have a limit” – haven’t put a total figure on the turnout yet but say the response has been “very high”.
Most of the protests began yesterday at 11am and have seen huge crowds invading seafronts and beaches, with a large crowd of holidaymakers lining the route as spectators. The Canary Islands’ campaigners have returned to the streets to protest against the mass tourism model that supports the economy of the islands.
Protesters could be heard blowing through shell-like horns to create loud noises while banging on drums, chanting slogans critical of the local tourism industry.
One of the slogans chanted during the demonstrations was: “El dinero del turismo, donde está?” The phrase translates to: “The money from tourism, where is it?” The noise and general commotion left some holidaymakers too scared to leave their homes, with Irish tourist Alberto Babo telling the Daily Mail he wanted to “avoid the crowds”.
He said: “I didn’t go out today due to the protests, I’m stuck in my Airbnb to avoid the crowds. I hope they are not violent or anything but just to be safe I’m here. All I can hear is the noise.”
Crowds exploded across the island chain, but have been non-violent during demonstrations, with demonstrators adopting the slogan “The Canary Islands are not for sale, they are loved and defended” in Gran Canaria.
Other banners at the protests declared “The Canary Islands have a limit and so does our patience” and “Enough is enough!” While anti-tourism protests and sentiment appears to have been concentrated in tourist hotspots like Gran Canaria, other Spanish cities have also seen demonstrations, and they have spread further across Europe to capitals like Berlin.
So far, central demands from campaigners include a tourist moratorium, the implementation of an eco tax, and strict new regulation on holiday rentals – especially on platforms like Airbnb. The protest responds to growing social unrest in the face of tourist saturation, environmental impact and the crisis of access to housing.