Holiday hotspot loved by Brits 'facing collapse' as too many tourists visit it
A Spanish holiday hotspot beloved by Brits is facing imminent collapse, experts have warned.
Over-tourism has put the Canary Islands and its infrastructure under enormous strain which is no longer sustainable, urban planners have said. If the massive influx of tourists who visit the Canaries is not reduced then it faces "systemic collapse".
Experts working for campaign group Ben Magec-Ecologists in Action have spoken out after tourist figures for 2023 revealed a record number of visitors - 16 million. By one estimate, as many as half of these are Brits.
According to SE12, organization's 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."
Canary Islands such as Lanzarote and Tenerife are hugely attractive to tourists because of the warm weather they enjoy for much of the year, with regular daily highs of 20C in February.
Spanish island loved by Brits wants to cut tourist numbers to stop 'saturation'
The warning came after visitor figures for the year were released (Getty Images)Locals have begun to push back against the influx of visitors, however, concerned as they are that numbers are growing too high for local infrastructure to cope. The vast majority of food is imported, while the islands have difficulty dealing with the waste such large numbers of visitors produce.
The Ben Magec-Ecologists in Action report continues: "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."
The diverse array of fauna and flora found on the islands increasing the importance of protecting them. Lanzarote has significant biodiversity which is in part due to the island's volcanic origin. In Timanfaya alone, 180 different plant species have been found, providing a home for Atlantic lizards and the Eastern Canarian gecko.
On Tenerife, protesters have even begun demanding an "eco-tax" for tourists. The slogan “tourists go home” has become popular on Canary Island as locals hit back against holiday-goers crowding the streets of their hometown. It has even seen graffiti at one of the island’s most beautiful beaches, La Tejita.
Protesters have taken to the streets to demand action against what they see as “irreparable damage” done by mass tourism in the main hubs of the island, such as Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Meer reports.
Both social and environmental groups took part in the protest last month, according to reports from local publication Canarian Weekly. They waved placards saying “the Canaries are no longer a paradise” and “the Canaries are not for sale” at the gatherings. One protester said that the island community was close to “completely collapsing”.
They have warned that sewage spills, long traffic jams and environmental damage caused both by over-tourism and new hotel complexes along the popular beaches of south Tenerife were starting to eat into the natural wonder of the island.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
