On Saturday, thousands took to the streets of Tenerife, demanding temporary restrictions on tourist arrivals to address the surge in short-term holiday rentals and hotel constructions. These developments are driving up housing costs for locals.
Protesters, brandishing placards with slogans such as “People live here” and “We don’t want to see our island die,” emphasized the urgent need for changes within the tourism industry. This industry constitutes 35% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Canary Islands archipelago.
“It’s not a message against tourists, but against a tourism model that doesn’t benefit this land and needs to be changed,” remarked one protester to Reuters during the march in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of Tenerife.
Similar, albeit smaller, demonstrations took place in other parts of the island group and in various Spanish cities. These marches were coordinated by approximately two dozen environmental organizations in anticipation of the peak summer holiday season.
These organizations advocate for local authorities to implement temporary restrictions on visitor numbers to alleviate strain on the islands’ environment, infrastructure, and housing stock. They also call for limitations on property purchases by foreigners.
