Protesters demand changes to mass tourism in Spain | DW News

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Spain's Canary Islands to demand changes to mass tourism. They say the current economic model harms local residents and the environment. The protesters want authorities to take steps to lessen the negative effects of so many tourists flocking to the popular destination.

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[hiltonwatkins]

I am a tourist… and I appreciate this kind of care in planning better tourism. It is important to protect their living too..

[d.f.]

I would bet the people making all the money don't live there.

[JohnFDonovan-bynt]

As a resident of Massachusetts who has seen Cape Cod destroyed by the same forces of tourism, I can sympathize. The first step is to gain control of housing being used as an economic investment by wealthy outsiders. Some where I read that Corsica has made efforts to forbid outsiders to buy property and in some villages the purchase of a home is limited to those who have proof of continual residences for over ten years. I read this ages ago so I am not quite sure whether it had any success. At the time this seemed logical to me. I am not sure whether it was a success.

[BlakeJakes]

I have lived in Tenerife since i was 8yrs old (39 years) the Canarians aren‘t protesting about tourism, we live off Tenerife, i‘s the housing problem. The prices of houses have skyrocketed since AirBnB came on the scene, and alot of rich Europeans, come here to buy a house cheaper than in their home country and then use it as a holiday home and earn money off it using Airbnb and the Canarians are getting kicked out of their rental properties that are being sold and then can‘t afford, on the wages we earn here, to pay the exorbitant new rental fees. Get your facts straight!

[abrahamlevi]

I once watched a TV documentary about how young British tourists getting drunk and misbehaving in Magaluf and felt petty for the locals, especially the medical teams.

[pedrolopes]

Tourism cannot be the base of a developed economy... But the canary islands have another problem, they lack other big sources of revenue besides tourism.

[sepilokfui]

those private air b y b, private daily rental, driving up cost rental and removing private space from local resident, add on, garbage... the residents not just here, Barcelona is not place facing the same problem.

[scch]

Its the same trend in all big Cities, too many tourists, to many airbnb's, higher inflation, shortage of housing. Just a selected few are benefitting from the mass tourism....Basic necessities like housing, public transport, healthcare should at all time be affordable for locals.

[Charlie-hpoh]

allready in the nineties there were murals against mass tourism in gran canaria

[Big_Island_Boi]

Though I support the locals 100% in this effort, I think they'll find that it is a double-edged sword. They are out in the middle of the ocean on islands... virtually no other means of creating jobs or income other than tourism-related projects--including building hotels, resorts, etc. Hawaii has this same problem. The locals can't afford to live on their own islands anymore... but without the tourists--who drive up the cost of everything--they'd virtually all be unemployed and uneducated. (Schools are paid for by the billions in tourist dollars / sales / occupancy / rental car taxes... as are roads... food stamps... health care... etc.)

For the Canarians, this is a matter of governance. Who have they been voting for / electing to represent them over the past few decades? Because it is THOSE elected officials who are essentially responsible for what is happening in the islands right now. If the local want a different future--they'll need to elect different leaders--and make different laws and regulations--and ENFORCE them.

[benjaminthorsen]

I get most of their points, but how will fewer tourists decrease unemployment, seems to me like it'd just increase it.

[sallycastle]

I wish they would do this in Phuket. It's just a mess here and seriously harming the environment, not to mention the stress the over crowding is causing people.

[abercrombiescott]

Good for them. Fighting for their community

[Tgshgkgh]

That is problem of local government rather than tourist 🎉

[imantsjansons]

Ironically, working class locals hate working class tourists. Rich who can afford the five star hotels, welcome.

[OllieX]

Really, those benefiting from tourism should be paying for the clean up and protection of these islands.

[JBaxter-pioj]

Best of luck. Although tourism accounts for 35% of the islands GDP that money only benefits the wealthy. I believe the sustainable tourism model is a better choice for everyone and will allow local people to live with better wages and services while people are still able to come and enjoy a more authentic local experience. And this model of tourism should be applied to every place on this planet. We humans need to appreciate the homes of people and wildlife in a better way. Thank you!

[jhouriet]

its not the tourists (people) its the tourism industry greed.

[drummingspain]

I do tend to side with the locals on this. But.... please don't blame any construction works on tourism, blame the planning approvals which is run by locals!!

[RajDeelish]

BS. The people in the Canary Islands will quickly realize they want tourists back once things slow down. They are an island and their primary means of income is tourism.