Locals within the Canary Islands aren’t ‘anti-visitor’, however say they’re solely affected by vacationers’ dangerous behaviour relatively than reaping the advantages.
Virtually 100 million overseas vacationers visited Spain in 2024 – and 30.5 million of them went to the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands.
With extra protests in opposition to overtourism deliberate within the island communities, Euronews Journey speaks to native residents about their issues for the way forward for the Canary Islands. They are saying it’s not that they don’t need vacationers – however they need to see a change in how visitors plan their vacation and behave as soon as they get to the archipelago.
The Canary Islands at the moment are a year-round vacation hotspot
Guillermo, an area information in Gran Canaria, says that this winter has been the busiest he’s ever seen. That’s backed up by numbers too, as final December was 1.1 per cent increased than the identical interval in 2023, in line with information from Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain’s statistical workplace.
The biggest of the islands, Gran Canaria has at all times been extra of a winter vacation spot, says Guillermo, highlighting that the British got here to the north of the island 200 years in the past looking for out well being tourism with the delicate local weather, medicinal waters, and the grand spas at Azuaje and Berrazales.
“Issues modified within the Nineteen Fifties and Nineteen Sixties. Folks went to the south coast searching for the solar. I believe issues are altering once more as folks now come in the summertime months and have a look at different points of interest, like our landscapes, tradition and historical past, the great thing about our mountaineering and diving spots, and whale watching. It’s not just like the Balearic Islands the place every thing involves a cease within the winter.”
Not like a few of his friends who work for giant tour corporations, Guillermo says he’s ‘privileged’ as he runs his personal firm, which specialises in personal and small group nature and historical past excursions.
Guillermo has historically spent his summers doing much less guiding work, preferring to assist with native conservation efforts as an alternative, however finds that these days he has guests reserving him all year-round.
Most of Spain’s guests got here from the UK
In 2024, the majority of Spain’s guests got here from three European international locations: the UK, France, and Germany. Brits in Spain spent a complete of €22.602 billion in 2024, notably 13.5 per cent greater than 2023.
Catalonia in northeastern Spain – dwelling to common vacation hotspots Barcelona and the vigorous seaside resort of Costa Brava – acquired probably the most vacationers at 19.9 million.
However the Balearic (15.3 million guests) and Canary Islands (15.2 million guests) weren’t far behind.
These are stark figures: the seven Canary Islands have a inhabitants of simply 2.2 million folks, which suggests final 12 months there have been 6.9 instances extra guests than residents.
Final 12 months, protestors took to the streets of Ibiza saying they’re pressured to stay in vehicles and caravans as a result of they will’t afford housing as tourism lodging has priced them out. Like locals within the Canaries, they mentioned they aren’t in opposition to tourism per se, simply the unfavorable impacts of it on on a regular basis life.
Information reveals that customer numbers to the Canary Islands are set to rise but once more in 2025, based mostly on customer numbers from the primary few months of this 12 months.
Even locals working in tourism are concerned in protests
Regardless of making his livelihood from the business, Guillermo has joined the so-called ‘anti-tourist’ protests in Gran Canaria and tells Euronews Journey that the worldwide media misunderstands what they’re actually about.
He says residents need to “regain stability” and assist to unravel the problems attributable to the strain of elevated guests.
Proper now, many of the tourism cash is leaving the island, Guillermo says.
“We wish a good quantity of the earnings that tourism creates to go to the native inhabitants. A lot of the advantages go exterior the island to overseas corporations.”
One of many largest points, he flags, is the “tight state of affairs” in housing, triggered principally by short-term leases operated by exterior gamers.
Airbnb has not introduced the cash locals hoped for
“Since Airbnb began rocketing up, native folks can not stay within the areas they used to, and housing is turning into unimaginable throughout all of the islands. Once you discover [Canarian] folks having full-time jobs and never having the ability to pay lease, you may see that there’s an issue there.”
When the web reserving platform arrived on the island, Guillermo says most residents thought it might be a great way for them to share within the boon of tourism.
For 10 or 20 years, that was the way it was used he says: “In the event you had a household heritage dwelling sitting empty, brothers and sisters may make some cash.”
“However now entire buildings in Las Palmas, the place folks have been as soon as residing, are devoted to vacation leases. It must be regulated. There are overseas corporations shopping for up complete homes and never having to pay taxes for it right here – or wherever else. That’s a giant no-no.”
Some nationwide guidelines apply to short-term leases within the archipelago, together with a compulsory registration system. From 3 April 2025, residents will have the ability to vote to ban some new vacation leases in native housing areas.
The regional authorities has equally proposed a brand new legislation on ‘Viviendas Vacacionales’ (short-term leases). However the draft is especially targeted on unlawful listings and security requirements, tasking extra police to close down unlawful listings, and handing out fines of €30,000 to homeowners of unlicensed lodgings.
Nestor Marrero Rodríguez, secretary of ATAN (the Tenerife Affiliation of Associates of Nature), and an organiser of Tenerife’s overtourism protests, has the identical message to vacationers: “Keep away from utilizing Airbnb as a result of it will increase rental costs for locals and generates a critical means of gentrification.” As a substitute, he suggests guests keep in locally-run lodging.
Nestor highlights that mass protests are being organised for April 2025 whereas smaller, unbiased actions are underway to boost consciousness. This features a march going down on 16 February in Tenerife’s capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, to coincide with the FVW Journey Discuss congress, a serious worldwide journey occasion.
“These protests would in all probability not even occur if locals had a greater reflection of the financial system that was generated in tourism,” provides Guillermo.
Vacationer behaviour provides fireplace to native strain
Canarian residents are involved in regards to the archipelago’s fragile nature and useful resource use, and really feel some guests aren’t at all times respectful.
The “worst behaviours” Nestor has witnessed in Tenerife embody assaulting airplane employees, (“which trigger delays”), going off authorised trails, amassing rocks and shells, and flying drones in protected areas, which he cautions “is prohibited in many of the archipelago with out permission”.
“British vacationers are undoubtedly the worst behaved and present dramatic reactions in particular person and within the media when their behaviour and rejection by the native inhabitants is uncovered,” he says, including that that is usually exacerbated by overdrinking and violence.
Guillermo is much less important of British guests. “I’m an English-speaking information so my opinion is predicated solely on what I see round me. I discover most British folks on my excursions respectful, however with all cultures there’ll at all times be folks I’ve to inform to not litter or drop their cigarette filters on the bottom. And there’ll at all times be a sure profile of individuals coming only for the drinks or the solar.”
The native information says that his enterprise mannequin depends on preserving Gran Canaria’s nature. “You would possibly suppose it doesn’t matter if you happen to wander away an official path in a protected space – just like the particular pure reserve of the Maspalomas Dunes. However know that it’s not simply you – 4 million individuals are doing the identical! When 1000’s of individuals trespass day by day all of it provides up.”
“I perceive that not everyone seems to be searching for the native tradition, however I ask you to bear in mind that there are folks residing right here three hundred and sixty five days of the 12 months. It’s not a theme park. You possibly can’t do as you please since you suppose somebody is coming to scrub your mess. We’re straight affected by your misbehaving and attitudes,” provides Guillermo.
Overtourism: You don’t should be a part of the issue
One of the best ways to make sure you are perceived to not be a part of the issue is to “observe the principles,” says Guillermo. “Don’t drive your rental automotive in a spot the place it’s not allowed. Don’t choose flowers and rocks as a memento or wander away official paths. Strive to not depart a hint.”
Nestor feels that vacationers who keep at all-inclusive resorts “solely depart a unfavorable footprint of assets on the island”, equivalent to trash and water consumption points, and provides that the majority all-inclusive tour operators are “often owned by overseas corporations…that depart little revenue for the native inhabitants.”
Each islanders say you may assist residents and “make your tourism cash matter” by supporting native companies.
“Discover the island by your self, rent a information and go to our museums or go on fascinating visits to our wineries or our cheese factories,” suggests Guillermo.
Nestor has the identical message. “Go to the seaside as an alternative of utilizing the pool, e-book actual excursions and experiences via social networks – yow will discover good corporations that may supply an actual expertise.”
Even if you’re visiting for an all-inclusive seaside vacation, Guillermo suggests consuming dinner in an area restaurant as an alternative of within the lodge, as he thinks most guests will benefit from the delicacies. Nonetheless he displays that in some touristic areas the place cooked English breakfasts are the norm you gained’t at all times discover the true native flavour.
Extra assets to handle customer numbers is required
As a nature information, Guillermo believes that any earnings from tourism ought to be used to enhance vigilance and laws within the Canary Island’s pure protected areas. He thinks the native administration ought to create a finances to pay for higher infrastructure and safety of pure assets: “In the entire island of Lanzarote, they’ve simply two or three forest rangers, that’s very very low!”
“At Roque Nublo and Los Azulejos – probably the most iconic rocks in Gran Canaria – it’s simply an excessive amount of, with vehicles parked in the midst of the highway so even fireplace vans and ambulances can’t get via.”