“Canarias Tiene Un Limite” (The Canary Islands Have a Limit) was the message chanted by thousands of people who took to the streets of the Canary Islands last Sunday to protest against mass tourism and demand government action to protect the local population and the environment.
The organisers of the demonstrations denounced the current economic model which they described as based on ‘excessive tourism, speculation, inequality and infinite growth on limited land’ and called instead for a more ‘environmentally friendly and people-centred’ model that would cap the number of visitors to the island. They are also calling for measures to protect the marine environment and the implementation of an ecological tourist tax.
The Canary Islands, famous for their pristine beaches, lush landscapes, and mild climate, have welcoming tourists year-round since the 1960s.
Protests in the Canary Islands against overtourism, where the influx of over 1 million tourists monthly-half the local population of 2.2 million—has led to severe strain on infrastructure,
— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) May 18, 2025
What is the answer
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When tourism becomes unsustainable
Juan Francisco Galindo, a hotel manager in Tenerife, told Reuters that the situation has reached a point where the economic benefits of tourism are being questioned. “Tourism is very important for the Canary Islands,” he said, “but we have to realise that the collapse is total”.
Galindo cited his father, a small island property owner, as an example of this collapse and of the government’s perceived greed. In 2023, his father received an expropriation order after a luxury hotel complex was approved, leading to a severe decline in his health, because ‘those 70 square metres are all my father has left’, explains Galindo,
Galindo notes that the number of hotel beds has tripled since the 1970s, straining the island’s infrastructure. This expansion has resulted in soaring property prices, severe traffic jams, limited access to health services and even pressure on the water supply during peak season.
With an average of over a million international visitors arriving in the Canary Islands every month, just under half the local population, that strain is serious. Spain saw a record number of tourists in 2024, a figure set to be broken this year, causing significant worry among residents. From January to April, alone, the islands recorded 4.36 million international arrivals. Similar protests have taken place in other popular Spanish tourist destinations such as Mallorca, Barcelona and Malaga.
#Latest: More than 135,000 people took to the streets across the Canary Islands today, May 18, to shout that #CanariasTieneUnLímite (Canary Islands Have a Limit), expressing concerns about the high cost of living caused by excessive tourism exploitation.#18M #canaryislands pic.twitter.com/qPOmt6xTof
— Amazigh World News ⵣ (@AmazighWNews) May 18, 2025
Calls for reform and local pushback
Echoing Galindo, Sirene Alonso, a lawyer from Gran Canaria, accused local authorities of prioritising financial benefits over sustainable development. “The objective is not the quality of tourism, but the arrival of more tourists. The number of tourists and people who come to live here is crushing us”.
In response to growing public anger, officials are scheduled to meet in Brussels this week to seek EU funding for affordable housing in outlying areas of the region.
Huge demonstrations ongoing in the Canary Islands, against overtourism, environmental destruction, housing crisis. pic.twitter.com/3uB9lykcfs
— 🌋 ⵙⴰⵎ (@quilombosfera) April 20, 2024
Several Spanish destinations have adopted or considering new measures to mitigate the impact of tourism. Tenerife is one of them. Last week it introduced a cap on daily visitors to some of its most popular nature reserves, prompting a wave of concern among visitors’ summer travel plans.
As of now, no new guidance has been published on the UK travel page, which typically accounts for 40 % of annual visitors. The existing advice only urges people to follow police advice in the event of demonstrations and to ‘move away if there are signs of disorder’.
