Thousands of Canary Island residents take to streets of Tenerife to demand tourism action

Thousands of Canary Islanders took to the streets on Saturday to demand action on tourism, which they claim is harming their community.

Demonstrations have already seen islanders go on hunger strike in opposition to plans for a hotel and resort space at the south of Tenerife island.

There are seven main islands as part of the Canary archipelago, which is Spanish territory off the coast of Morocco, and they are seemingly united in protest.

Thousands were seen on Saturday in Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife, carrying placards and shouting slogans such as "the Canaries have a limit".

Locals have said over tourism is creating overcrowding and high rental prices with protests also seen in Lanzarote and Gran Canaria islands as well as Malaga.

Estimates placed the size of the crowd to be at around 10,000.

A spokesman for protest platform Canarias Se Agota told the media: “Today, April 20, marks the 10th day of the hunger strike.

“Today we cannot forget these people who are putting their lives at risk for our Earth.

“Their determination inspires, their bravery moves us, their sacrifice reminds us that this struggle is everyone's and for everyone.”

Protestors have said they want a moratorium on tourism development projects and have demanded a greater distribution of revenues.

Around 2 million people live in the Canary Islands but it hosted 16.2 million tourists in 2023. Of those, 5.6 million were British.

Despite the protests, the Canary Islands tourism minister has urged British holidaymakers not to cancel their holidays.

Jessica de León, the regional tourism chief, told The Telegraph that the Canary Islands remain open for business.

“It is still safe to visit the Canary Islands, and we are delighted to welcome you," Ms de León stated.