Thousands demonstrate on the Canary Islands against mass tourism and gentrification

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday in the Canary Islands are calling for changes to the mass tourism model that they say is devastating this archipelago Spanish in the Atlantic.

With slogans like “The Canary Islands have a limit” or “The Canary Islands are not for sale.”“, demonstrators took to the streets in the main cities of the seven islands of the archipelago, which lie off the coast of northwest Africa and are known for their volcanic landscapes and their many days of sunshine.

Organizers of the marches claim that mass tourism perpetuates an economic model that harms local populations and are calling on authorities to set limits.

Around 57,000 people took to the streetsreported the media, citing the central government delegation to the islands.

“We are not against tourism,” one protester, Rosario Correo, said on Spanish public television TVE.

“We are calling for a change to the unlimited tourism growth model,” he added.

The mobilization intends to stop the construction of two hotel complexes in Tenerifethe main island of the archipelago, and that, in view of what they see as uncontrolled tourism development, more consideration should be given to neighbors and the environment.

“The government and the councils (regional authorities) of all the islands must stop this model of infinite corrupt growth, which is based on the destruction of the environment and only makes the economy precarious,” said another protester, Alfonso Boullon.

The Canary Islands received 16 million visitors last years, seven times more than their 2.2 million residents, something militants say is unsustainable for the islands’ limited resources.

“We are tired of being overcrowded, of being treated poorly by institutions, of having low salaries (…) and of the land being bought by foreigners because they have more money to buy our grandparents’ land said Nieves Rodrigues Rivera, a 59-year-old teacher. years, to AFPTV.

And the constant influx of visitors exacerbated this Real estate crisis, skyrocketing rentsexplained Antonio Samuel Díaz García.

“We see how holiday homes are entering our cities, rents are rising, young people want to emancipate themselves and it is becoming more and more difficult for us,” complains the 22-year-old student.

“We see how tourism is destroying our biodiversity,” he added.

According to public television, demonstrations in support of the marches in the Canary Islands also took place in Madrid and Barcelona.

Protests against overcrowding with tourists have multiplied across Spain in recent monthsthe second most visited country in the world, receiving 85.1 million visitors last year.

Tourism accounts for 12.8 percent of Spain’s GDP and 12.6 percent of jobs.

Before the pandemic crippled tourism in 2020, there were already important mobilizations against mass tourism in Spain, particularly in Barcelona.

ORP