Tourism on the Canary Islands went up by 2.1% over the first quarter of 2025, with “record-breaking” numbers of arrivals on the Atlantic archipelago, official figures show. The increase comes despite widespread anti-tourism protests by locals who say the islands’ popularity causes crowding and places a burden on scarce resources.
The Canary Islands National Statistics Institute (INE) released the data on 4 May, revealing that 4.36 million international visitors went to the islands between January and April. Over 1.55 million tourists went in March alone. The biggest source market is the UK, which accounts for over 40% of international arrivals. Tenerife is the preferred destination, followed by Gran Canaria.
Those arrivals have driven spending up to a record high, the Canarian Weekly says. Meanwhile Travel and Tour Weekly notes that total tourist expenditure reached €6.86 billion in the quarter, a 5.46% rise year-on-year. That’s more than double the increased rate of arrivals – a key indicator of inflation, according to industry experts.
🇪🇸94 million tourists arrived in Spain in 2024 (10% more than in 2023). Catalonia, The Balearics and Canary Islands, were the most visited regions.
— Embassy of Spain UK (@EmbSpainUK) February 4, 2025
🇬🇧The UK brought in 18 million tourists (1.4 million more than in 2024), leading with 19.5% of the market share.
📸 Fuerteventura pic.twitter.com/YGclSNAMpB
The southernmost Autonomous Community of Spain, the Canaries are located off the west coast of Morocco. Created by volcanic activity, they offer unusual black and white sand beaches, turquoise seas, and a year-round subtropical climate. As well as a reputation for partying and nightlife, they possess vineyards, dunes, and are beloved of wind sport enthusiasts.
But, locals say, years of mass tourism have taken their toll on the islands’ environment and anti-tourism protests are now frequent, with some graffiti and signs calling for violence. Water scarcity is a particular concern but so are pay and conditions in a hospitality sector that has seen 80,000 workers take mass industrial action across the territory already this year.
This weekend, a massive anti-tourism protest rocked the Canary Islands as Spanish locals grew tired of being priced out of their homes.
— red. (@redstreamnet) April 22, 2024
Around 50,000 protesters flooded the streets of Tenerife and stated that the issues caused by excessive tourism include gentrification,… pic.twitter.com/h07ymbnw0l
Concessions to concerned residents are emerging. On Tenerife, an eco tax is set to come into force in 2026. Chargeable to non-residents at the Teide National Park, the home of Mount Teide volcano that is Spain’s highest peak, the funds raised will go towards eco-actions and conservation projects, said Rosa Davila, President of the Tenerife Cabildo. To protect the UNESCO-recognised site, car access will also be restricted next year, with visitors able to take electric shuttle buses instead.
But whether such measures are enough to appease furious locals remains to be seen. Coming on 18 May, is a mass demonstration by the group Canarias Tiene Un Límite (the Canaries have a limit), which says: “Today, our dependence on tourism is greater than ever, housing is more inaccessible than ever, the levels of poverty and social exclusion keep rising, we’re losing our unique natural heritage at an alarming rate and macro-projects serving foreign investors continue unabated.” The group is calling for “a true change of model that guarantees a decent future for the people who live on these islands.”
