Tourism chiefs in Spain have pleaded with Brits to keep coming to the Canaries after the region was described as ‘more than overexploited’ and ‘overwhelmed’
Holidaymakers from the UK have been urged to continue vacationing in the Canary Islands as tensions rise.
Sweeping anti-tourist protests across Majorca, Lanzarote, Tenerife, and Menorca have sparked concerns among European Union denizens that visitors might be deterred. Critics say that without curtailing the vast numbers that flock to the Canaries every year the area is barrelling towards “systemic collapse”.
The local environmental group Ben Magec – Ecologists in Action has expressed their disquiet, highlighting that “The Canary Islands territory was more than overexploited”. “We had exceeded the carrying capacity of the territory by seven times, resulting in a scenario of systemic collapse due to the urban development structure,” they said.
But regional tourism dignitary Jessica de Leon made an impassioned plea to Brits to continue their patronage of the islands, having shared with the Telegraph her happiness to “delightedly welcome” tourists. “It is still safe to visit the Canary islands,” she said. “People who come here to visit and spend their money must not be criticised or insulted. We are playing with our main source of income,” reports Birmingham Live.
In a similar vein, Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo beckoned to tourists earlier this month to persist with their vacation plans to the archipelago. “We are worried because tourism is our main source of income and I think that whoever comes here to enjoy, to spend a few days and to leave their money in the Canary Islands, shouldn’t be rebuked or face insults,” he said.
Pere Joan Femenia, from the group Menys Turisme, Mas Vida (Less Tourism, More Life), which staged a protest last month, explained their point of view to The Telegraph: “What we want is to change the tourism model which is overwhelming the island,” he said. “We cannot live here because house prices are so high. Beaches are swamped by tourists and public services are under incredible strain.”
The 25-year-old student mentioned that protesters are calling for a ban on foreign nationals, including Brits without residency, from owning properties on the island as it makes it impossible for locals to buy homes. Despite the anti-tourism protests across Spain, The Mirror reported earlier this week foreign acquisitions of Spanish real estate had dipped only marginally by 0.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2024 when compared to the same period the previous year, according to fresh insights from Spain’s Association of Registrars. Brits made up 8.4 percent of international sales, outpacing Germans at seven percent and Moroccans at 6.1 percent. Overseas buyers composed 14.8 per cent of all property purchases, a slight decrease from 14.9 per cent in 2023.