What Irish holidaymakers need to know amid Lanzarote and Tenerife tourist tensions

As summer looms, Irish holidaymakers are beginning to make their way abroad to popular destinations including France, Spain and Portugal. 

However, despite the relaxing setting of many of these holiday hotspots, this year's holidaymakers may receive a different welcome in Spain to the one they're used to. 

What's happening? 

Tens of thousands of residents of the Canary Islands - an archipelago of eight main islands including Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote, among others - have taken to the streets to protest the consequences of mass tourism. 

According to Sky News, locals are calling for a temporary limit on the number of tourists arriving on the islands in the hopes of pausing the availability of short-term holiday rentals, which are reportedly driving up housing costs. 

Protesters on the islands are also reportedly being joined by Spanish citizens on mainland Spain as well. 

Thousands of people protested in Tenerife, calling for the Spanish island to temporarily limit tourist arrivals to stem a boom in short-term holiday rentals and hotel construction that is driving up housing costs for locals https://t.co/oKew0xXgSW pic.twitter.com/fqvhtsQy7L

— Reuters (@Reuters) April 21, 2024

Placards and signs with slogans such as 'Stop hotels' and 'Canaries not for sale' can be seen in pictures and videos online showing huge crowds of protesters. 

Protesters can also be heard chanting slogans, including, "The Canary Islands are not for sale, they are loved and defended." 

One local told Red, "The Canary Islands are being exploited, a lot of hotels are being built, licences are being handed out in a very liberal way, the beaches are being polluted, and there is no housing for the people of the Canary Islands either." 

Are the protests anti-tourist? 

Some holidaymakers have criticised locals for protesting due to tourism being a major chunk of the islands' economy. 

It comes following the appearance of graffiti on buildings across the Canary Islands demanding tourists 'go home'.  

However, the protests - which are being framed by some commentators as solely 'anti-tourist' - are also underway to address legitimate concerns such as low wages for workers and over-development of the islands. 

Approximately 14 million people descend upon the Canary Islands every year, despite the overall population of the islands amounting to just over 2 million people. 

According to The Irish Times, 700,000 Irish tourists holiday in the Canary Islands annually, making up over a third of the islands' native population. 

Should I cancel my holiday? 

The islands' president, Fernando Clavijo, has acknowledged changes need to be made but urged holidaymakers to continue coming. 

According to the Irish Sun, he said, "We are worried because tourism is our main source of income and I think that whoever comes here to enjoy, to spend a few days and to leave their money in the Canary Islands, shouldn’t be rebuked or face insults." 

The organisers behind the protests, the Tenerife Association of Friends of Nature, have reportedly said, "Voices will be heard calling out against the destruction of natural spaces, as well as others suggesting a halt to overpopulation, complaining against the illegal construction of dwellings on non urban land and the excessive occupation of the territory, or warning of the abusive use of holiday rentals and the massive sale of land and properties for speculative use.

"These are all challenges that have been affecting the Islands for years and to which our leaders have shown no intention of finding a solution." 

The Canary Tourist Board reportedly told the Irish Sun they are encouraging holidaymakers to visit and urge them not to cancel plans. 

They said, "In terms of tourists, the situation they see on the eight islands is absolutely normal.

"We are aware that there has been some isolated and specific event, but this has not altered at any time the enjoyment of the holidays of those who visit us."