Despite the Canary Islands being plagued by anti-tourism demonstrations this summer the month of August marked the twelfth consecutive month of growth in hotel stays.
This led to experts sending an urgent warning that Tenerife is on the verge of destruction due to the overwhelming amount of urban development resulting from tourist demand.
Expert Nicola Quinn, who works for the Moving to Spain website while living in Tenerife – where she’s been for the past 20 years – said that illegal Airbnb’s are making island life “unsustainable”.
She notes that tourism is not the sole reason, adding that the construction of large hotels is a positive as it gives locals job opportunities.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Nicola said: “Significant tourist growth across many of the Canary Islands has absolutely had a massive impact over the last decade.
Huge resort complexes owned by international brands are popping up wherever there’s any room left. These hotels are great because they create jobs for locals and, in the case of high-end luxury hotels, they attract high-spending tourists.”
She continued: “But these hotels are just one consequence of the Canaries’ boost in tourism. Due to the high demand for tourist accommodation and the lenient long-term rental laws that favour squatters, property owners would much rather rent their apartments to tourists on sites like Airbnb instead of locals.
“It’s safer for them and they can earn more money.”
One of the biggest complaints of protesters in recent months is the proliferation of holiday rental apartments.
Locals argue that they are being effectively priced out of the property market, as investors snap up apartments to rent out to tourists.
The Canary Islands ranked second in Spain in August for occupancy rates, behind the Balearic Islands at just under 90 percent and ahead of Catalonia, which includes Barcelona, at 80.2 percent. Regions with lower occupancy rates included Castilla-La Mancha (38.5 percent) Extremadura (50.1), and Madrid (54.3).
In April, up to 120,000 people took to the streets of Tenerife to demand limits on the impact holidaymakers were having on the Spanish archipelago. Carrying banners reading slogans such as “Tourism is killing the Canary Islands” locals told the Express the influx of outsiders had made their home unsafe and was erasing their local culture.
Elsewhere, a usually bustling Spanish hotspot has found itself in a ‘crisis’ as its economy plunges due to restaurants being left “half empty.”
Magaluf’s economy has found itself in a dire spot after the Majorcan hotspot reported having empty tables outside its usually busy nightspots.
A bar owner claimed that the anti-tourist protesters’ “wishes had been granted” following a series of anti-tourism protests this summer.
Locals recently marched through Palma, the island’s capital, demanding ‘immediate measures’ from the government to address the housing crisis and tourist overcrowding.
According to statistics from Exceltur, a staggering 45 per cent of the Balearic Islands’ revenue is derived from its vibrant tourism industry.
But now protestors are being warned that they should watch what they wish for as Brits seemingly turn their backs on the holiday hotspot.
