Spain’s Tourism Protests Drive British Vacationers to North Africa

The Spanish are not giving up. On Sunday, they once again stormed the streets and beaches of the Canary Islands to protest against mass tourism accused of being the cause of the housing crisis, reports the Daily Mail. These repeated demonstrations are not without consequences for Spanish tourism. On Friday, Santiago Sese, president of the Tenerife Chamber of Commerce, revealed that the number of British bookings for this summer had fallen by 8% compared to the previous year. Competing countries such as Turkey, Greece, Egypt, and neighboring Morocco have all seen their bookings increase, he added. Given this impact, the Canary Islands government wants to organize emergency talks with activists.

The attraction of tourists to Morocco is real. "I’m glad I’m not visiting. Even though I can understand their frustrations, it will end up backfiring on the protesters. No tourists, no jobs. There are plenty of other places to visit," a reader commented to the Mirror in April. "I’m perplexed when they say ’don’t come anymore’. Who are they? If people stop going to the Canaries, the whole economy collapses. I really don’t understand how these places can survive without visitors," questioned another tourist.

Last year, the Canary Islands welcomed a record number of 17.9 million visitors, including 15.5 million international tourists, an increase of 10% compared to the previous year, and about 1.8 million domestic tourists from mainland Spain.