‘A cancer consuming the island’

Residents within the Canary Islands are planning protests and strikes as they fight against overtourism.

The Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago sitting within the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of northwestern Africa, have been a hot spot for tourists for many years.

But they’ve turn into overrun by tourism in recent times — pricing out locals and diminishing their resources along the best way.

The worsening conditions of the locals and the development of two latest hotels — the Hotel La Tejita and Cuna del Alma in Tenerife’s Puertito de Adeje — have led groups like Canarias Se Agota (“The Canary Islands Sold Out”) and Canarias se exhausts (“The Canary Islands are exhausted”) to form and subsequently organize protests.

The Canarias Se Agota called for a hunger strike that was set to start on Thursday, and the Canarias se exhausta have called for Islands-wide protests on April 20.

Based on local environmental organization Fundación Canarina, the variety of tourists jumped from 11.5 million per 12 months to around 16 million annually within the last decade, CNN reported.

In 2023 alone, the Canary Islands attracted 14.1 million foreign visitors, a record for the islands, in line with Euronews.

With the skyrocketing number of tourists, locals are reportedly sleeping in cars and caves as soaring housing and rental prices have made the realm unaffordable for a lot of area residents.

Although government officials have argued that the economy is reliant on tourism, nearly 34% of the local population — near 800,000 people — are vulnerable to poverty or social exclusion, a report from Ecologists in Motion warned, Euronews reported.

Residents have tried placing fake “closed to overcrowding” posters and stickers around popular spots in attempts to keep tourists away.

“We now have nothing against individual tourists, however the industry is growing and growing and using up so many resources, and the island cannot cope,” Ivan Cerdena Molina, who helps organize the protests, told southern Spain’s The Olive Press.

“Airbnb and Booking.com are like a cancer that’s consuming the island little by little.”

Together with driving prices up, locals complain that tourism can also be causing environmental damage, in addition to pressure on health services, waste management, water supplies and biodiversity.

Local government officials have proposed starting conversations with politicians, experts and locals to create a plan of motion to appease all parties and establish common guidelines.

Residents within the Canary Islands are planning protests and strikes as they fight against overtourism.

The Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago sitting within the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of northwestern Africa, have been a hot spot for tourists for many years.

But they’ve turn into overrun by tourism in recent times — pricing out locals and diminishing their resources along the best way.

The worsening conditions of the locals and the development of two latest hotels — the Hotel La Tejita and Cuna del Alma in Tenerife’s Puertito de Adeje — have led groups like Canarias Se Agota (“The Canary Islands Sold Out”) and Canarias se exhausts (“The Canary Islands are exhausted”) to form and subsequently organize protests.

The Canarias Se Agota called for a hunger strike that was set to start on Thursday, and the Canarias se exhausta have called for Islands-wide protests on April 20.

Based on local environmental organization Fundación Canarina, the variety of tourists jumped from 11.5 million per 12 months to around 16 million annually within the last decade, CNN reported.

In 2023 alone, the Canary Islands attracted 14.1 million foreign visitors, a record for the islands, in line with Euronews.

With the skyrocketing number of tourists, locals are reportedly sleeping in cars and caves as soaring housing and rental prices have made the realm unaffordable for a lot of area residents.

Although government officials have argued that the economy is reliant on tourism, nearly 34% of the local population — near 800,000 people — are vulnerable to poverty or social exclusion, a report from Ecologists in Motion warned, Euronews reported.

Residents have tried placing fake “closed to overcrowding” posters and stickers around popular spots in attempts to keep tourists away.

“We now have nothing against individual tourists, however the industry is growing and growing and using up so many resources, and the island cannot cope,” Ivan Cerdena Molina, who helps organize the protests, told southern Spain’s The Olive Press.

“Airbnb and Booking.com are like a cancer that’s consuming the island little by little.”

Together with driving prices up, locals complain that tourism can also be causing environmental damage, in addition to pressure on health services, waste management, water supplies and biodiversity.

Local government officials have proposed starting conversations with politicians, experts and locals to create a plan of motion to appease all parties and establish common guidelines.