Latest news with #CanaryIslandsGovernment
Daily Mirror
27-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Brit boy dies after he's found unresponsive in pool on family holiday
Little Edward James Watson Massey, four, from Co Down, tragically died after he was found unresponsive in a pool during a family holiday to the Spanish island of Tenerife A four-year-old British boy who was found dead in a swimming pool during a family holiday to Tenerife has been pictured for the first time. Little Edward James Watson Massey, from Co Down, in Northern Ireland, was found unresponsive in the pool in the popular San Miguel de Abona location in the south of the island on May 22. A death notice for the boy said he is survived by father Richard, mother Joanne as well as sister "and best friend" Victoria. The notice added Edward would be "greatly missed and lovingly remembered by all his friends" and said: "He will be cherished in our hearts forever. Our lives will never be the same without him." According to a post on the website of the Canary Islands Government's Emergency and Security Co-ordination, it received an alert on Thursday reporting that a child had been rescued from a hotel pool by a lifeguard and was in cardiac arrest. A nurse assisted the caller to locate a defibrillator and begin resuscitation procedures. This was carried out by first responders in the area and other individuals identified as physicians. Two ambulances and a helicopter were despatched but the resuscitation procedures were unsuccessful and little Edward was pronounced dead. Funeral arrangements are being organised for the young boy. Two advanced life support ambulances as well as a medical helicopter were despatched to the site with CPR attempts continuing. Spanish broadcaster Telecinco said: "The child died after failing to recover from a cardiorespiratory arrest following a rescue from a hotel pool." A UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told The Sun: "We are supporting the family of a British child who has died in Spain, and are in contact with the local authorities." Tragically, a different British toddler died after drowning in a pool at a holiday park in Greece. The three-year-old tot was found dead in a Tsilivi swimming pool with ambulances being called to the Greek island of Zakynthos where the British family was staying. A spokesperson for the government said they had been liaising with local authorities. They previously said: "We are providing consular support to the family of a British child who has died in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities." The Greek state broadcaster ERT reported the toddler had been with his mum, two aunts and grandparents who were renting a villa when he died. The child reportedly entered the pool while other family members, who were inside the villa at the time, had been preparing to go out for lunch.
Daily Mirror
27-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
Popular European water park set to open on new Canary Island suffers major blow
The Siam Park water attraction could face a lengthy delay that will be a blow for visitors to Gran Canaria who want to enjoy a cooling and exhilarating experience A long-awaited water park in the Canary Islands has suffered a major blow with its anticipated opening facing a lengthy delay. The Siam Park water park planned for the Spanish island of Gran Canaria has hit a temporary delay, according to Alejandro Marichal, the councillor for Urbanism and Tourism in San Bartolome de Tirajana. The two-year delay is due the required approval of a modernisation plan by the Canary Islands Government, which is needed to advance the project. Should the water park be completed, it would serve as a major tourist destination for the islands. "The Canary Islands Government is processing the modernisation plan, and once approved - we hope before the end of the legislative period - the City Council will automatically and expeditiously process the development project and grant corresponding license, Marichal said, according to local outlet Maspalomas24. While speaking on the programme A buenas horas, he argued the council had the "political will" to quickly see the project to completion but said the timing rested with the regional government. "Therefore, if the government meets the planned deadlines, there are still at least two years of processing time before the start of construction on Siam Park in San Bartolome de Tirajana becomes a reality." The Mirror has contacted Siam Park via its website. Siam Park already operates one water park on the island of Tenerife. According to its website, the water park has been named the best in the world for the 10th consecutive year and lists numerous TripAdvisor awards. The water park, inspired by Thailand, offers "thrilling" attractions, "serene" landscapes as well as "heart-pounding" slides such as the Tower of Power and the Wave Palace wave pool. While the project would bring more revenue to the islands, residents on the Canary Islands have voiced concerns about over tourism in the region and have demonstrated against the status quo. They have repeatedly argued that over tourism on the Canary Islands has led to spiralling housing costs, competition to find somewhere to live as well as money not reaching everyone who needs it. According to the Canarian Weekly, the archipelago has seen its population explode over the past two decades. In the past 20 years more than 500,000 people have been added to its population with some 2.2 million now being estimated to live on the islands. But it is a delicate balance that officials need to find that satisfies the concerns of locals while not impacting the islands' economy. The Canary Islands' economy is highly dependent on the tourism sector as reported by Caixa Bank. It is estimated the tourism industry accounts for about 37.8 per cent of the region's GDP compared to 28.4 per cent for Spain as a whole.
The Sun
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Canary Islands to tear up tourism rulebook & launch crackdown on Brits with new laws ahead of mass protests
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 7 7 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.' 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 7 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.' Anti-tourist measures sweeping hotspots MAJORCA and Menorca are just some of the European hotspots implementing anti-tourist measures. Many top holiday destinations across the continent are taking action to prevent unwanted travellers from taking over their towns and cities. Locals feel they can no longer live in the iconic destinations because they have become overcrowded, unsafe and uncomfortable. They say there are too many cars on the roads, traffic congestion, overcrowded beaches, blocked access roads, ruined beauty spots and just too many holidaymakers flocking to the island which expects record figures this summer. Last April, thousands of people took to the streets in Tenerife to demand restrictions on holidaymakers after telling Brits to "go home". The anti-tourist hordes filled a square in the capital brandishing banners including some that read 'You enjoy we suffer' in English. Protests also took place at the same time on other popular Canary islands including Lanzarote and Gran Canaria. The marches were organised under the slogan "The Canary Islands have a limit.' Hotel bosses in Benidorm have even admitted they are 'very worried' by the anger growing amongst island residents but branded holiday homes in Spain a "virus". More recently, the Committee on Tourism, Trade, Employment, Culture and Sport reportedly approved an initiative to reintroduce a cap on cruise ships to Palma, Majorca's capital. Politicians are keen to implement a new set of rules on cruise ships in terms of taxation, the environment or the use of less polluting fuels to lower numbers coming into the Balearics.
