Canary Islands to tear up tourism rulebook & launch crackdown on Brits with new laws ahead of mass protests

Scottish Sun

23-04-2025

BRITS heading to the sun-soaked Canary Islands this summer are in for a shock with furious locals plotting mass protests and the government ripping up its tourism rulebook.
Holiday hotspots like Tenerife are bracing for a summer of unrest as residents rise up against what they claim is a 'predatory model' of tourism that's pushed locals to the brink.
7
Protesters march on Las Americas beach during a demonstration to protest against mass tourism in Tenerife
Credit: AFP
7
Demonstrations have been boiling up across Spain
Credit: Alamy
7
People protesting against tourists in the Canary Islands
Credit: EPA
Activists have vowed to storm popular tourist attractions, disrupt public events and 'confront political leaders' in a fiery new phase of protests kicking off May 18 — right as peak holiday season begins.
'From now on, we will take our fight to the very spaces where their predatory model is perpetuated,' declared pressure group Canarias tiene un límite (The Canaries Have a Limit).
'We will boycott public events, confront political leaders during their appearances and occupy symbolic tourist spaces to make it clear that we will not stop until real change is achieved.'
The movement — now spreading beyond Tenerife — insists it's no longer business as usual for tourism in the region.
'The Canary Islands can no longer be a postcard backdrop for the enjoyment of a privileged few,' the statement read.
In a separate warning, the group said: 'This cry, which reflects the feelings of a people tired of being ignored and mistreated, will be the beginning of a new stage of struggle: firmer, more direct, more uncomfortable for those who refuse to listen to us and take real measures.'
The backlash follows a 170,000-strong hotel and restaurant workers' strike across the islands just days ago, with locals slamming low wages and poor working conditions in the booming holiday industry.
In June last year, beach workers also walked off the job over what unions called "precarious" conditions.
As tensions boil over, the Canary Islands Government has now announced plans to completely overhaul its outdated 30-year-old tourism laws in a landmark reform effort.
Alfonso Cabello, spokesperson for the regional government, said: 'We're doing this the Canary Islands way — extending a hand and listening to everyone.'
Explore Tenerife with The Sun's Best of Beaches
7
The sweeping reforms aim to tackle everything from sky-high housing costs in tourist areas to crumbling infrastructure and overworked public services.
Jessica de León, the Canary Islands' Minister of Tourism and Employment, stressed the need to protect residents' quality of life.
'The new regulation must align with today's social and environmental realities, correcting outdated elements and integrating changes from national and regional rulings, including Constitutional Court decisions,' she said.
She also confirmed that changes would include defining tourism-heavy municipalities to prioritise infrastructure upgrades where they're most needed.
The new legal framework is expected to roll out over the coming months.
It will also set tougher planning and building standards, tighten rules on holiday rentals, and introduce the first regulation for campsites and outdoor tourism.
Despite the chaos, unions have urged tourists not to cancel their holidays, insisting their anger is aimed at the system, not the sunseekers.
7
Thousands of people demonstrate against tourism policies on the island of Tenerife in April 2024
Credit: Getty
7
Tourism policy in the Canary Islands has left little room for the local population, the protesters argue
Credit: Getty
But protests are set to escalate fast.
On April 5, anti-tourism protests exploded across Spain, with furious demonstrators flooding over 40 cities — from Barcelona to Madrid — in one of the largest uprisings yet.
Some activists even urged locals to superglue the locks of holiday rentals to keep them out of use.
Protests followed on from a series of demonstrations last summer.
Canary island beach workers also went on strike in June over precarious working conditions.
Unions said they wanted to alert holidaymakers to the possible effects of the strike but asked them not to cancel their plans.
They also said they didn't want tourists to change their image of the Canaries as a good holiday destination.
In March, campaigners issued a chilling open letter to foreign visitors, telling them: 'ENOUGH! STAY HOME! We do not need more tourists; in fact, you are the source of our problem. DO NOT COME.'
7
Millions of tourists, including many Brits, flock to Tenerife and other hotspots in the Canary Islands every summer
Credit: Getty