Canary Islands send plea to British tourists over fears of mass holiday cancellations – World News

The Canary Islands have urged British tourists to continue their visits amid fears of mass holiday cancellations after tens of thousands of locals joined the protests.

Residents are expressing concern that the islands are being swamped by a growing number of holidaymakers as their already huge popularity as a holiday destination continues to rise.

The Canary Islands, a Spanish-run archipelago off the coast of northwest Africa, consists of seven islands, including Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro. The sunny weather all year round makes the islands a popular holiday destination for British tourists.

The tourism sector is the main source of income and accounts for about 40 percent of employment on the archipelago. But the large number of visitors has caused tensions on the islands, with locals protesting against mass tourism, which they say has driven up the cost of living and house prices.

It is estimated that almost 14 million foreign tourists visited the Canary Islands last year, which has a population of around 2.2 million. Last week, at least 50,000 people took part in a demonstration in Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife, calling for a temporary limit on the number of tourists visiting the Spanish island.

The phrase CanariasTieneUneLimit – translated to Canary Islands have a limit – was widely seen on protesters’ banners and other signs. Clips of thousands of demonstrators shouting ‘si vivimos del turismo por qué no somos ricos?’ chants (if we live off tourism, why aren’t we rich?) were also shared on the social media platform.

But amid the protests, Jessica de León, head of regional tourism, stressed that tourists are still welcome on the islands. She told The Telegraph: “It is still safe to visit the Canary Islands and we are pleased to welcome you.” She added that she understood the frustration but said it was “unfair to blame tourism”.

Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands, echoed León, saying some activists “smack of tourist phobia.” He said: “People who come here and spend their money should not be criticized or insulted. We are playing with our main source of income.”

Gabriel González, a councilor of the far-left Podemos party in the Tenerife resort of Adeje, responded: “We feel that we do not live from tourism; it is tourism that lives from us.” Néstor Marrero, secretary of the ecological group ATAN in Tenerife, added: “The number of tourists must be reduced. We should be aiming for higher quality visitors, not people at all-inclusive resorts who don’t leave the hotel or interact with locals and our culture in any way.”

Figures from Spain’s National Statistical Institute show that 33.8 percent of people in the Canary Islands are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, the highest rate for any region except Andalusia. “All the actions this government has taken are based on a revision of this model,” Clavijo told reporters this week. “The tourism model in the Canary Islands has been successful, but of course, as with anything, there are things that can be perfected.”