‘Inequality and infinite growth’: Canary Islands anti-tourism protests reignite amid record arrivals

This weekend, residents of Spain’s Canary Islands are coming retired successful unit to protestation against wide tourism. 

People connected nan archipelago person been increasing progressively vocal astir its struggles pinch visitant numbers. 

Last year, locals held aggregate protests to item overtourism’s strain connected section infrastructure and lodging availability. They look group to proceed again this summertime arsenic residents opportunity small has been done to tackle nan problem. 

Protests planned crossed Spain against overtourism

On Sunday, 18 May, residents of nan Canary Islands will return to nan streets to subordinate protests organised by run group Canarias tiene un límite (The Canary Islands person a limit). 

Demonstrations will beryllium held connected each nan islands of nan archipelago arsenic good arsenic successful respective cities crossed Spain. 

Protests will statesman astatine 11 americium connected nan 7 main Canary Islands - El Hierro, La Palma, La gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura - and astatine 12pm connected mainland cities including Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia. 

Residents successful nan German superior of Berlin are besides readying to return to nan streets successful solidarity. 

Why are residents of nan Canary Islands protesting?

The organisers opportunity they are protesting to reason nan existent economical exemplary "based connected overtourism, speculation, inequality and nan infinite maturation connected very constricted land”.

Instead, they want a modulation to a people-centred, environmentally responsible exemplary that respects nan archipelago’s ecological and societal needs. 

Specifically, they are calling for a halt to destructive edifice projects crossed nan islands and nan building of a centrifugal circuit connected Tenerife; a moratorium connected caller tourer developments; guaranteed entree for residents to healthcare and housing; and a functional ecological tourer tax.

The group besides wants nan contiguous preamble of measures to curb marine contamination and nan creation of an environmental restoration law. 

Canary Islands person grounds number of visitors successful March

Earlier this month, authorities announced that nan Canary Islands received much than 1.55 cardinal overseas visitors successful March, up 0.9 per cent connected nan record group successful nan aforesaid period past year.

The figures were released by nan Canary Islands National Statistics Institute (INE), which added that nan full number of world visitors for nan first 4th of 2025 was 4.36 million, an summation of 2.1 per cent year-on-year.

The tourer influx comes contempt dozens of protests staged past twelvemonth by Canary Island residents against wide tourism.

Similar demonstrations person already taken spot this year. Over Easter, astir 80,000 hospitality workers successful Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro walked retired successful a conflict pinch unions complete pay.