Canary Islands Tourists Face Rage Of Locals For Overcrowding The Place: Latest Update

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

In 2024, nan Canary Islands welcomed a grounds number of visitors, a staggering adjacent 18 million, a grounds which smashed each erstwhile ones. This grounds tourer arrival, predominantly visitors from nan United Kingdom and different parts of Europe, was a double-edged beard for nan islands. Whilst unprecedented economical benefits accrued from nan tourism sector, nan second accrued astatine a very precocious costs for nan inhabitants. Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura, being nan 4 largest islands, were inundated pinch a relentlessly increasing watercourse of visitors annually.

The first 4th of 2024, alone, attracted complete 4.36 cardinal visits, pinch nan islands already having a grounds 1.55 cardinal overseas visits for nan period of March. Despite immoderate quarters of resistance, nan tourism manufacture has flourished, much truthful because of nan fame of nan Canary Islands arsenic a perennial vacation destination. This flourishing, however, came pinch a batch of further ills relating to nan value of life for nan residents. Infrastructure, housing, and nationalist accommodation became stretched moreover further, making nan islands little livable for nan residents.

Housing Crisis and Overcrowding

The emergence of tourism has meant a superior accommodation shortage for residents of nan Canary Islands. In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, for example, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, residential rentals now travel astatine a premium, mostly owed to nan caller readiness of short-term rentals. It was precocious reported that much than half of disposable residential stock, peculiarly immoderate parts of nan Canary Islands, has changed from residential rentals to impermanent rentals, which are being coordinated done platforms specified arsenic Airbnb. This inclination was a awesome contributor to nan shortage of occupied units for residents, galore of whom could not spend a spot of residence.

On nan comparatively less-crowded, and quieter land of Fuerteventura, foreigners now outnumber locals 120 to 1. This tremendous imbalance has put unthinkable unit connected infrastructure and nan earthy environment. It is arsenic bad connected Tenerife and Lanzarote, wherever organization unit is increasing. This drastic imbalance has moreover led to nan displacement of long-time residents, pinch galore locals being priced retired of neighborhoods owed to nan quickly escalating worth of short-term rentals.

Local officials precocious warned that nan increasing influx of visitors is not sustainable for nan agelong term, and that action needs to beryllium taken to execute a equilibrium betwixt nan needs of visitors and year-round residents of nan islands. Shortages of disposable lodging are now a superior concern, pinch immoderate residents having to enactment successful impermanent units aliases utmost measures for illustration surviving successful vehicles aliases caves. These situations person caused wide nationalist outcry, pinch calls for much affordable building of lodging units and stricter controls of short-term rentals.

Protests Demand Sustainable Tourism

In nan aftermath of nan expanding situation of proviso of lodging and wide strain connected nationalist services, citizens embarked connected thoroughfare protests to reason nan unregulated improvement of wide tourism. In May 2025, much than 30,000 citizens participated successful a bid of synchronized protests crossed nan archipelago. Carrying nan banner of “Canarias tiene un límite” (“The Canary Islands Have a Limit”), protestors called for swift action to prevention nan earthy situation of nan region and to guarantee tourism gains are distributed much reasonably among nan population.

They were sparked by increasing vexation pinch nan biology devastation that is simply a consequence of having excessively galore tourists, namely from nan over-development of coastal areas and defacement of habitats for caller resorts and hotels. In residents’ eyes, nan tourism paradigm these days is exploitative, much concerned astir business interests than nan wellness of residents and nan preservation of land ecosystems.

They besides reflected nan broader overcrowding issues. The sheer numbers of visitors person made day-to-day life for nan year-round residents of nan islands difficult. Local businesses and infrastructure person not been capable to withstand nan unit that they are under, astatine nan aforesaid clip residents are having expanding problem getting to nan basics of life specified arsenic healthcare and schools.

Government Response and Current Issues

It was aft nan protests and wide interest that nan Canary Islands’ authorities understood that tourism improvement requires a much sustainable direction. President Fernando Clavijo, successful a statement, made clear that contempt nan islands being capable to big tourism, unchecked description tin ne'er beryllium possible. He called for a rethink of policies for tourism for nan region truthful that tourism improvement ne'er goes beyond nan islands’ capacity for sustaining nan organization domiciled there.

As portion of nan authorities response, location are ongoing debates regarding a tourer tax. This would beryllium a measurement of managing nan numbers of group that travel to sojourn nan islands but would supply authorities pinch a root of gross for infrastructure upgrading and housing. To date, however, location are nary plans aliases timetables announced for erstwhile specified a argumentation would beryllium implemented.

In summation to nan tourer levy, nan authorities has besides contemplated approaching EU backing for low-cost lodging initiatives. These initiatives are aimed astatine addressing nan existent situation of accommodation done nan proviso of further houses for nan residents and a little reliance connected short-term rentals for nan vacation makers. It is of interest for nan authorities that tourism use nan system favorably without causing irreparable harm to nan situation aliases nan value of life for nan residents.

Looking Forward

The Canary Islands find themselves astatine a crossroads. Its vibrant tourism manufacture has produced long-awaited economical successes, but they’ve done truthful astatine a costs becoming harder to ignore. As overcrowding and rising spot prices statesman to impact nan residents, a increasing outcry for action from voters is being heard. In months and years ahead, nan early of nan Canary Islands will dangle connected nan islands’ authorities’ expertise to onslaught a equilibrium betwixt nan requirements of nan tourism assemblage and residents of these islands. A Sustainable approach, responsible development, and wide lodging reforms will beryllium astatine nan halfway of preserving nan Canary Islands arsenic a spot of prime to unrecorded and visit, without nan discuss of earthy beauty aliases citizens’ well-being. Current protests are a clear informing that alteration is not only important but an imperative now. If nan islands are to thrive successful nan future, a associated effort from each nan stakeholders progressive needs to beryllium taken to chalk retired a tourism exemplary that treasures both, nan group and nan place.