Protests have erupted once again in popular Spanish holiday destinations, with unrest now spreading to many of Spain’s most-travelled locations. On Sunday, a crowd of over 8,000 people took to the streets to express their outrage at soaring rent prices and tell authorities: “We don’t need more tourists.”
In contrast to previous anti-tourism demonstrations, Sunday saw a surge of people descending on key tourist hotspots throughout the Canary Islands, some of which are beloved beaches where British sunseekers found themselves having to duck for cover or make a quick exit as disgruntled locals demanded actions such as raising the tourist tax or calling for a complete “moratorium” on all holidaymakers.
Holidaymakers on Playa de las Americas and Troya beaches in Tenerife were forced to hide behind their beach towels when a large, noisy march stormed the beach, telling tourists to go home, with many of their signs in English. The crowd united under the slogan “The Canary Islands have a limit,” blaming the influx of visitors for their creaking public services, chanting “more tourists, more misery.”
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Tourists on other islands including Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Palma, and El Hierro also saw noisy protests at beaches and shopping centres. El Mundo, a Spanish news outlet, reported that these anti-tourist groups have now combined into one, under the banner “The Canary Islands have a limit”.
With anti-tourism groups from Barcelona to the Canary Islands joining forces, indications are that this movement is set to intensify, with even more systematic protests anticipated. This is despite the Spanish government’s efforts to mitigate the impact of mass tourism, including a ban on more than 14,000 illegal holiday rentals in Madrid alone.
The newly formed anti-tourist group said in a statement on Sunday: “We will go to the tourist areas because that is where the injustice we are denouncing is taking place and because that is where we want to confront the system that is destroying our islands.”
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However, these actions have barely scratched the surface of the discontent felt by locals in Spain’s tourist hotspots, where the influx of tourists snapping up properties has led to soaring living costs and displaced residents. The Canary Islands are particularly affected, with one in three houses now owned by non-Spaniards.
The ‘Canary Islands have a limit’ campaigners stated: “While tourist areas prosper at the expense of our landscapes and resources, many local communities suffer the consequences: increased cost of living, loss of housing for residents, job insecurity and environmental deterioration.”
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