First Mallorca, now this archipelago: thousands on the streets against mass tourism
Tenerife (Spain) - Mallorca led the way: Several thousand people demonstrated against mass tourism on the Canary Islands, which belong to Spain.
The authorities put the number of participants at around 10,000, as reported by the Spanish news agency Europapress.
There had already been demonstrations in April, when, according to official figures, more than 55,000 people took to the streets.
Demonstrations took place in the vacation resort of Maspalomas on Gran Canaria as well as on Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Palma and El Hierro. Due to their location off the northwest coast of Africa and their climate, the islands are also a popular travel destination in winter.
Among other things, participants held up posters with the slogans "Somos extranjeros en nuestra tierra" (roughly: "We are foreigners in our country") or "Canarias no es un parque temático" (roughly: "The Canary Islands are not a theme park").
Allegation: Unfair and unsustainable development in tourism on the Canary Islands
The various organizers denounced an "unjust and unsustainable" development model in the tourism sector, as Europapress further reported.
In spring and summer, there were also major protests against mass tourism on the Spanish mainland and the Balearic island of Majorca.
The travel industry accounts for almost 14 percent of Spain's economic output. On the Canary Islands it accounts for 35 percent, on Mallorca even 45 percent.