The slogan for the demonstrations was “The Canary Islands have a pain limit”, and the demonstrators filled the streets – and the beaches – both in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and El Hierro.
In Tenerife, protesters descended on Playa de las Americas beach, shouting “This beach is ours”, while tourists watched from their sunbeds.
Last year, 16.2 million people visited the Canary Islands – more than seven times as many as the archipelago’s population of just over 2.2 million. The protesters believe that mass tourism favors investors at the expense of the environment. Housing costs have increased considerably, and local people are being forced into poorly paid service professions, the demonstrators believe.
Four out of ten residents work in tourism, according to official figures. And many residents believe they do not get to benefit from the income generated by tourism. One in three is at risk of falling below the poverty line, according to figures from the EU Poverty Network (EAPN).
There has also been persistent dissatisfaction with mass tourism elsewhere in Spain, including in Mallorca, as well as in Barcelona and Málaga. Spain welcomed 21.8 million foreign tourists this summer, which is a new record.
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