Tourism plays a crucial role in the Spanish economy, with the Canary Islands in particular being visited by millions of tourists every year. However, this has sparked resentment among some locals, who now want to see stricter measures taken to protest against mass tourism.
According to the local environmental organization "Fundación Canarina," the number of tourists visiting the Canary Islands has increased from 11.5 million per year to around 16 million per year over the past decade. Many locals are concerned about the effects of mass tourism and, according to reports from "CNN," are planning to protest against what they see as excessive exploitation of the islands. They accuse the visitors of driving them out of their homes and causing environmental damage.
Hunger strike against mass tourism
For some time now, the Canary Islands have seen an increasing number of anti-tourist graffiti and protests. Now the Canaries are planning even more drastic measures against mass tourism. According to reports from CNN, a group called "Canarias Se Agota" (English: "The Canaries have had enough") has called for a hunger strike and asked people to join a human chain. The aim of this action is to send a clear message to the government. The Canary Islands are not prepared to continue sacrificing their future, according to a Facebook post published on Wednesday.
Housing shortages and water shortages are feared
Some local conservation and environmental groups are also joining the protests against unsustainable tourism. They criticize local authorities for approving large tourism projects that are pushing locals out of the housing market. They also argue that water shortages are worsening. According to CNN reports, they cite tourist facilities such as swimming pools and golf courses as examples, which use large amounts of water.
The decreasing rainfall and droughts due to climate change are a growing problem, stress the environmentalists. In view of this, they announced that they will take to the streets on April 20 to protest for greater control of the situation. They underline the urgency of taking action to address the problem of overexploitation and displacement from their homes. The demand for a change in the way this problem is dealt with is clear. The environmentalists stress that the Canary Islands have their limits.