Thousands of people in the Spanish Canary Islands protested against mass tourism, Euronews reports.
Residents of Tenerife are demanding a “tourist freeze,” that is, a temporary restriction of their flow, in order to stop the boom in short-term rental housing and hotel construction. They say all this is driving up housing costs for local residents.
Demonstrators carried signs reading “People live here” and “We don’t want to see our island die.” They are demanding changes in the tourism industry, which accounts for 35 percent of the Canary Islands’ gross domestic product.
#20A. A punto de comenzar en Santa Cruz de Tenerife la manifestación por un cambio del modelo turístico: “Canarias se agota”. pic.twitter.com/jTYyDc4CgF
— COPE Canarias (@CopeCanarias) April 20, 2024
Smaller marches also took place in other cities in the island group and other Spanish cities. They were organized by environmental organizations ahead of the peak summer holiday season.
The organizations say local authorities should temporarily limit the number of visitors to reduce pressure on the islands’ environment, infrastructure and housing stock, as well as introduce restrictions on foreigners buying property.
According to official data, in 2023 the archipelago with a population of 2.2 million people was visited by almost 14 million foreign tourists, which is 13 percent more than in the previous year. We wrote that Amsterdam will begin to weed out “indecent tourists.” They released an online test to weed out tourists who disturb the peace of the city.
We wrote that in Amsterdam they will begin to weed out “indecent tourists.” They released an online test to weed out tourists who disturb the peace of the city.
The construction of new hotels has been almost completely banned in the Dutch capital. Last year, Amsterdam city officials banned cruise ships from the city center in a bid to limit visitor numbers and reduce pollution.