Thousands protest in Canary Islands against over tourism

Tourists look at protesters marching on Las Americas beach during a demonstration to protest against mass tourism, in Arona on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife, on October 20, 2024. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

TENERIFE, Spain — Thousands marched in the Canary Islands on Sunday to demand action against mass tourism, as Spain heads for another record year for visitor numbers.

Demonstrators rallied at midday across all seven islands of the Canary archipelago, off the northwest coast of Africa, in response to a call from the platform “Canarias tiene un limite” (“The Canary Islands have a limit”).

Carrying banners reading “The Canaries are not for sale” and “The Canaries are no longer a paradise”, they called for rent controls and a freeze on new tourist developments to curb the impact of over tourism.

READ: Mass protests in Canary Islands decry overtourism

According to authorities, 7,000 people protested on Tenerife, the largest of the islands. Police also counted 3,000 demonstrators in Gran Canaria, 1,500 in Lanzarote, and 1,000 in Fuerteventura.

Local associations have long criticised tourism development in the Canaries, saying it favours investors at the expense of the environment and residents, who are increasingly priced out of housing.

Tourism employs four in 10 islanders and accounts for 36 percent of GDP, but locals say their concerns are largely ignored by officials.

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Spain, the world’s second most visited country after France, received a record 17.1 million international visitors in the first quarter of 2025.

The Canary Islands, home to 2.24 million people, welcomed 4.36 million foreign tourists in the same period and are on track to surpass the 15.2 million visitors recorded in 2024.