‘It’s not a theme park’: As tourism surges, Canary Islanders call on visitors to show more respect

Virtually 100 million international vacationers visited Spain in 2024 – and 30.5 million of them went to the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands. 

With extra protests towards 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 wish to see a change in how friends plan their vacation and behave as soon as they get to the archipelago.

The Canary Islands are actually 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 greater than the identical interval in 2023, in line with information from Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain’s statistical workplace.

The most important 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 searching for out well being tourism with the gentle local weather, medicinal waters, and the grand spas at Azuaje and Berrazales.

“Issues modified within the Nineteen Fifties and Sixties. Individuals went to the south coast on the lookout for the solar. I believe issues are altering once more as folks now come in the summertime months and take a look at different sights, like our landscapes, tradition and historical past, the fantastic thing about our mountaineering and diving spots, and whale watching. It’s not just like the Balearic Islands the place every little thing involves a cease within the winter.” 

Not like a few of his friends who work for big tour firms, Guillermo says he’s ‘privileged’ as he runs his personal firm, which specialises in non-public 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 a substitute, 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 – house to fashionable vacation hotspots Barcelona and the energetic seashore resort of Costa Brava –  obtained essentially 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 implies final yr there have been 6.9 occasions extra guests than residents.

Final yr, protestors took to the streets of Ibiza saying they’re pressured to stay in automobiles and caravans as a result of they’ll’t afford housing as tourism lodging has priced them out. Like locals within the Canaries, they stated they aren’t towards tourism per se, simply the unfavourable impacts of it on on a regular basis life.

Knowledge 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 yr. 

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 wish to “regain stability” and assist to resolve the problems brought on by the stress 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. Many of the advantages go exterior the island to international firms.”

One of many greatest points, he flags, is the “tight scenario” in housing, induced 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 now not stay within the areas they used to, and housing is turning into inconceivable throughout all of the islands. If you discover [Canarian] folks having full-time jobs and never having the ability to pay lease, you possibly can 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: “Should you had a household heritage house sitting empty, brothers and sisters might make some cash.”

“However now entire buildings in Las Palmas, the place folks had been as soon as dwelling, are devoted to vacation leases. It must be regulated. There are international firms shopping for up complete homes and never having to pay taxes for it right here – or wherever else. That’s an enormous 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 regulation on ‘Viviendas Vacacionales’ (short-term leases). However the draft is principally 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 Mates 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 lift consciousness. This features a march happening on 16 February in Tenerife’s capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, to coincide with the FVW Journey Speak congress, a significant 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 hearth to native stress

Canarian residents are involved concerning 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 embrace assaulting airplane employees, (“which trigger delays”), going off authorised trails, gathering rocks and shells, and flying drones in protected areas, which he cautions “is illegitimate in many of the archipelago with out permission”. 

“British vacationers are undoubtedly the worst behaved and present dramatic reactions in individual 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 essential of British guests. “I’m an English-speaking information so my opinion relies 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 assume it doesn’t matter for those who get lost 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 persons are doing the identical! When hundreds of individuals trespass every day all of it provides up.”

“I perceive that not everyone seems to be on the lookout for the native tradition, however I ask you to bear in mind that there are folks dwelling right here three hundred and sixty five days of the yr. It’s not a theme park. You may’t do as you please since you assume 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 simplest ways to make sure you are perceived to not be a part of the issue is to “comply with 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 get lost official paths. Attempt to not go away a hint.” 

Nestor feels that vacationers who keep at all-inclusive inns “solely go away a unfavourable footprint of sources on the island”, resembling trash and water consumption points, and provides that almost all all-inclusive tour operators are “normally owned by international firms…that go away little revenue for the native inhabitants.”

Each islanders say you possibly can 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 seashore as a substitute of utilizing the pool, e-book actual excursions and experiences by way of social networks – yow will discover good firms that can provide an actual expertise.” 

Even in case you are visiting for an all-inclusive seashore vacation, Guillermo suggests consuming dinner in an area restaurant as a substitute of within the lodge, as he thinks most guests will benefit from the delicacies. Nevertheless 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 sources to handle customer numbers is required

As a nature information, Guillermo believes that any earnings from tourism needs to be used to enhance vigilance and rules within the Canary Island’s pure protected areas. He thinks the native administration ought to create a funds to pay for higher infrastructure and safety of pure sources: “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 – essentially the most iconic rocks in Gran Canaria – it’s simply an excessive amount of, with automobiles parked in the midst of the street so even hearth vans and ambulances can’t get by way of.”