The region has been ‘overexploited’ by tourists
A popular tourist hotspot in Spain could be ‘facing collapse’ if too many tourists continue to visit, a report has said.
Officials are concerned that the ‘over-tourism’ in the region is no longer sustainable, which is will be bad news for plenty of Brits.
The destination in question is the Canary Islands, which includes popular destinations such as Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.
A record 48 million holiday makers travelled to the region last year, with roughly half of this number being Brits.
The hot temperatures, incredible landscapes, beautiful beaches and partying strips have made the Canary Islands popular no matter what sort of holiday you’re looking for.
But the huge amount of tourists has led to the islands becoming “overexploited.” The volume of people visiting the region has led to major traffic congestions, whilst new hotel complexes have caused environmental issues on the islands.
Experts from campaign group Ben Magec-Ecologists in Action have now released a report calling for urgent action to protect the region, the Express reports.
The report reads: “The Canary Islands territory was more than overexploited. We had exceeded the carrying capacity of the territory by seven times, resulting in a scenario of systemic collapse due to the urban development structure.
“Uncontrolled, increase in the non-resident population of European origin, giving rise to completely overcrowded islands in which the generation of waste and the exploitation of resources cause an almost irreversible degradation of our natural ecosystems.”
Locals have also called for measures to be taken to curb the amount of visitors the islands get.
In Tenerife for example, people have called for an ‘eco-tax’ for tourists which would offset the “irreparable” damage to the island’s environment.
Locals protesting against the amount of tourists often use the slogan “tourists go home”, with the words seen graffitied around some of the island’s most popular beaches, the Mirror reports.
In a statement to JOE, the Canary Islands Tourism Board said: “The Canary Islands received 14.6 million tourists until November 2023. Estimating the month of December, we can say that the Canary Islands would have received 16.2 million tourists during the year 2023, a figure that had already been reached in 2017, three years before the pandemic was declared, when 16 million tourists arrived on the islands.
“In fact, between 2017 and 2020, the range of visitors that the Canary Islands received was between 16 million and 15.1 million, never a lower amount.
“In no case can the number of tourists be confused with the number of passengers transiting through the Canary Islands airports, which was 48.4 million in 2023. But it must be taken into account that all passengers are not tourists and that round trips are taken into account, as well as inter-island air traffic.
“The influx of tourists is very stable throughout the year, with hardly any seasonality. Nationalities alternate and net balances are compensated.
“This means the presence of 312,216 tourists in the Canary Islands daily, so the pressure on the territory and its resources and the local population is much less than in other destinations that concentrate the arrival of tourists in specific periods of the year.
“Our destination has been a pioneer in taking on the goals and commitments set out in the Glasgow Declaration, which pursues Net Zero by 2050.
“We were the first Spanish region to adhere to this commitment with a Climate Action Plan. In addition, we have made the digital tool Journey to Decarbonisation available to tourism companies, which will allow the sector to measure and reduce its carbon footprint.”
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