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A major airline boss has waded in on the anti-tourism debate in the Canary Islands, warning that “if politicians are not careful, they will put the tourism in the Canary Islands at risk”.
At a tourism conference held by German-based travel media publication FVW Travel Talk in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, the commercial director of Condor Airlines Christian Lesjak reportedly spoke out on the growing anti-tourist sentiment on the Canary Islands.
While about 50 tourism industry experts and German travel agents gathered for the conference at Hotel Mencey, demonstrations organised by the activist movement Canarias Tiene Un Límite (The Canary Islands Have a Limit) gathered outside to try and call for action what they describe as an unsustainable tourism model on the islands.
Speaking to GeoTenerife, a science travel company, Mr Lesjak acknowledged that the protesters are legitimate in their concerns.
“We are interested in the cultural and ecological integrity of the island because it is a product that needs to be protected,” he stated, according to Canarian Weekly.
When asked what he would tell those campaigning for limits on tourism, he encouraged them to “put pressure on politicians, who must take responsibility.”
GeoTenerife director Sharon Backhouse said she welcomed the remarks from the German-based airline boss, describing it as “a significant move by a key industry player to support the voices of Canarians calling for change”.
Ahead of the planned protest at the hotel, one group within the movement said on social media that “mass tourism is destroying the Canary Islands.
“There is no limit and tourism continues to grow uncontrolled, leading the islands towards environmental and social collapse.
“We continue to swim in sewage and endure hours of traffic jams every day, while tourism continues to grow and these problems get worse.
“The coast, which belongs to everyone, continues to be destroyed to build hotels and housing estates for foreigners.”
The group added that tourism does not generate wealth for the local population, nor is it helping with the protection of natural areas.
“Locals can no longer enjoy the special places on our islands without being surrounded by tourists,” they added.
Protesters have been taking to the streets to try and call their government and industry authorities to take action against mass tourism.
Thousands of people in Tenerife carried out a demonstration in April 2024, calling for a temporary limit on tourist arrivals to try and quell a boom in short-term holiday rental and hotel constructions.
Holding placards reading “people live here” and “we don’t want to see our island die”, campaigners said changes must be made to the tourism industry that accounts for 35 per cent of gross domestic product in the Canary Islands.
Protests have continued since, with one demonstration in October held simultaneously in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and El Hierro, calling for a change in the tourism model for the islands.
In the Playa de las Americas in Tenerife, protesters appeared on the beach while tourists were sunbathing and chanted “this beach is ours.”
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast
