According to the organisers, a total of 55,000 people took to the streets on the eight inhabited islands belonging to Spain on 20 April to demand, among other things, an upper limit on the number of tourists and affordable housing for locals.
Banners read, for example, "Tourism increases my rent" and "Paradise is not made with concrete". Meanwhile, a hunger strike by six activists from the organisation "Canarias se agota" (The Canaries have enough) entered its eleventh day on Sunday. Spokesman Victor Martín calls it a "historic day". "We are no longer a small group, but an entire people who are taking to the barricades," he was quoted as saying by state TV station RTVE. The protest will not stop.
Environmental tax demanded for tourists
What do they want to achieve? First and foremost, it is about effective monitoring of the regulations for the rental of holiday accommodation, a restriction on the purchase of properties by people without a residence on the islands and the introduction of an environmental tax for tourists. The protest under the slogan "The Canaries have a border" was not limited to the islands in the Atlantic off the west coast of Africa. Solidarity rallies were also held on the Spanish mainland - in Madrid and Barcelona.
A good 2.2 million people live on the Canary Islands. Almost seven times as many foreign tourists visited the islands last year: around 14 million visitors, mainly from the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. A good two million Spaniards also travelled from the mainland. Most foreign tourists travelled to the larger islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.
Tourism is essential for the islands' economy. The industry accounts for 35 percent of economic output and secures 40 percent of jobs. Nevertheless, the Canary Islands are the second poorest of Spain's 17 autonomous communities, which correspond to the German federal states. Activists emphasise that they are not fundamentally against tourism, but against the creeping destruction of the islands. The biologist and well-known documentary filmmaker Felipe Ravina recently said: "For years we have been promoting ourselves as a unique nature destination, but tourism is destroying the product we sell." / red