Yzabelle Bostyn
THOUSANDS have taken to the streets in Spain this weekend to protest ‘mass tourism.’
The Canary Islands has become a hive against mass tourism this Sunday as thousands protested against the holiday industry’s role in rising house and rent prices.
Some 8,000 people took part in the demonstrations in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and El Hierro.
Under the slogan ‘The Canary Islands have a limit’, they are calling for change in the tourism model which they say is robbing them of their home and natural resources.
Playa de las Americas in Tenerife was flooded with protestors chanting: “This beach is ours” around bewildered sunbathers.
In the first nine months of 2024, 9.9 million tourists came to the Canary Islands, 10.3% more than in the same period last year.
This is almost five times the population of the islands, which currently stands at 2.2 million.
It follows a series of protests in the Balearic Islands, Barcelona, Malaga and Valencia.
In response, the Canary Islands’ government is set to pass a new law to regulate short term lets and open up the market for locals.
Under the new legislation, new builds will be banned from the short-term let market.
New requirements will also be put in place for current property owners, who will have five years to comply.
These regulations include granting neighbours the right to object to tourism permits.
It comes after at least 15,000 protestors camped outside Valencia’s Town Hall to demand ‘dignified housing’ in the city.
