Latest news with #CanariasTieneunLímite


Glasgow Times
22-04-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Glaswegians warned of protests planned in the Canary Islands
The major protest has been scheduled to take place in mid-May in Tenerife. The group Canarias Tiene un Límite, which translates to, The Canary Islands Have a Limit, has announced a large-scale protest on May 18, calling for sweeping reforms to the region's tourism and economic model. READ MORE: Four exciting bar and restaurant opportunities hit the Glasgow market The group's demands include a moratorium on tourism, stronger regulations on housing access, the introduction of a tourist eco-tax, and a halt to mega-urban development projects. They argue the current model is unsustainable and has pushed the islands to a breaking point. In a powerful statement, the group declared: 'On May 18, everyone takes to the streets. "Tenerife takes to the streets to reject the economic model that is pushing the islands to the limit. "This cry, which reflects the feelings of a people tired of being ignored and mistreated, will mark the beginning of a new stage of struggle: firmer, more direct, and more uncomfortable for those who refuse to listen to us and take real action." They accuse the tourism industry of turning the Canary Islands into a 'picture-postcard backdrop for the enjoyment of a few,' while locals face soaring housing costs and deteriorating working conditions. The protest also aims to shine a light on the precarious labour conditions faced by many in the tourism sector. READ MORE: Celtic's Jota favourite bars and restaurants in Glasgow They said: "Our full support goes to those who, yesterday and today, are demonstrating to improve their working conditions and those of those who come after them. "We are the people of the Canary Islands, a people who will not give up until they achieve the change they deserve." Among the group's demands are: Protection of natural areas An eco-tax on tourists Regulation of foreign home purchases A ban on illegal and large-scale developments A new residency law The protest is scheduled to begin at 11am on May 18 at Plaza Weyler in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In a recent Instagram post, published over the Easter weekend, the movement expressed frustration at the lack of progress since their last major protest on April 20, 2024. READ MORE: Southside fried chicken spot announces West End location They said: "A year later, nothing has changed. The Canary Islands government has done absolutely nothing to meet a single one of the demands of April 20th." This new wave of activism comes amid a national housing crisis, with property prices in Spain reaching record highs. In some regions, nearly one in five homes is being purchased by foreigners, exacerbating housing shortages for locals. Residents across Spain, particularly in popular tourist destinations like the Canary Islands, are calling for lower rent prices, measures against empty properties, and the criminalisation of companies evicting squatters. As tensions grow, Canarias Tiene un Límite is warning that the movement is entering a new chapter — one that will be impossible to ignore.


Local Spain
11-02-2025
- Local Spain
Tenerife calls Spain's first mass tourism protest of 2025
The first protests, which took place back in the islands' main cities in April 2024, were the largest in the islands' history. These were followed by another round of protests in tourist hotspots across the archipelago's seven islands in October 2024 after little changed in terms of legislation. Now, the organisation behind the first two round of demonstrations, Canarias Tiene un Límite (The Canary Islands have a limit), is calling for a third protest, this time only in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The march will coincide with the FVW Travel Talk congress from February 15th to 19th, which Tenerife's capital is hosting. The conference is considered one of the most important events in the German tourism industry and is being supported by the Tenerife Tourism Council. On its social media channels, Canarias Tiene un Límite explained that the tourism event will bring together fifty experts from the tourism sector and German travel agents, and this is who they want to target with their new protest. "On Sunday, February 16th, we call on everyone to attend the rally on the Ramblas of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in front of the Mencey Hotel, to boycott the employers" at that congress, they wrote. The organisation argues that 'mass tourism is destroying the Canary Islands. The archipelago received 18 million tourists in 2024, a completely unsustainable figure. There is no type of limit, and tourism continues to grow uncontrollably, leading the islands towards environmental and social collapse. We continue swimming in sewage and enduring hours of traffic jams every day, while tourism does not stop growing and these problems get worse'. Tourist numbers have been putting increasing pressure on the 2,000-square-kilometre island of Tenerife, which is already home to just under a million people. As half of Tenerife's territory is protected non-urban land, the population density – in terms of tourists and residents - now stands at almost 1,000 people per square kilometre. This is compounded by the housing crisis, which is currently affecting much of Spain, as rents and house prices are unaffordable for locals, who have second lowest wages of all regions in the country. There also aren't enough properties to go around, and the number of tourist rentals keeps growing. This group emphasises that the current "tourism model does not generate wealth for the local population. Tourists find hundreds of holiday rental options, while people here find it practically impossible to rent a house to live in'. 'There is no effective protection for natural spaces, and tourists come to the Canary Islands to behave as if this were a theme park, where they can do whatever they want. Locals can no longer enjoy the special places on our islands without being surrounded by tourists. And the list goes on: it is very long', they add. In the past, protesters in the Canary Islands have made clear that they are not blaming tourists for the oversaturation, but the mass tourism model that the government has promoted to grow without any limitations. Residents fear that the island faces collapse in terms of services, housing, population and environment if nothing is done to correct the mistakes of the past. Similar protests against mass tourism and the housing crisis took place last year in Barcelona, Málaga, Madrid, Granada, Alicante and the Balearic Islands and more may be organised in 2025 if the situation doesn't change.