Lanzarote and Tenerife have asked UK tourists to visit them amid fears of mass holiday cancellations following protests against mass tourism.
Jessica de Leon, Regional Director of Tourism, insists that tourists are still welcome on the Islands. This happened after 50,000 angry locals took to the streets on Saturday (April 20) to protest that mass tourism is becoming a priority compared to the quality of life of local residents.
Thousands of people protested across the Canary Islands on Saturday, calling for an urgent rethink of the Spanish archipelago’s tourism industry.
“It is still safe to visit the Canary Islands, and we are happy to welcome you,” Jessica de Leon, Regional Director of Tourism, told The Telegraph. She added that she understands the frustration of residents, but it was “unfair to blame tourism.”
Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands, echoed her words that some activists “suffer from tourist phobia.” People who come here to visit and spend their money should not be criticized or insulted. We are playing with our main source of income,” Clavijo said.
Gabriel Gonzalez, a member of the council of the far-left Podemos party in the resort town of Adeje in Tenerife, hit back: “We feel like we don’t live off tourism; it’s tourism that lives off us.”
Nestor Marrero, secretary of the Tenerife environmental group called ATAN, added: “The number of tourists must be reduced. We should be aiming for better quality visitors, not people at all-inclusive resorts who don’t leave the hotel and don’t interact in any way with the locals and our culture.”
In 2023, 13.9 million tourists visited the seven main islands. According to official data, this is about six times more than the population of the islands of 2.2 million people.
The tourism industry also accounts for 40% of jobs in the archipelago. The largest markets for the islands are the United Kingdom and Germany, although they are also a popular destination for residents of mainland Spain.
Spain’s National Institute of Statistics reports that 33.8% of Canary Islanders face the risk of poverty or social exclusion – the highest rate among all regions except Andalusia.
The protesters demand to stop the construction of a hotel and a beach resort in the south of the island. In Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of the largest island of Tenerife, demonstrators held placards reading “Tourists – respect my land!” and “The Canaries have a limit.”
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