FALCONPOWERS – Thousands of people demonstrated in Tenerife on Saturday, demanding temporary restrictions on tourist arrivals in the Spanish Canary Islands to curb the surge in short-term holiday rentals and hotel construction that is driving up housing costs for local residents. Protesters held signs saying “People live here” and “We don’t want to see our island die,” stating that changes need to be made in the tourism sector, which accounts for 35% of the archipelago’s GDP.
During the march in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of Tenerife, one of the protesters told Reuters, “It’s not a message against tourists, but against a tourism model that doesn’t benefit this land and requires change.” Smaller marches were organized in other locations in the Canary Islands and in other Spanish cities, all organized by about 24 environmental organizations ahead of the peak summer vacation season.
