Killing the goose that lays the golden egg

Brits heading to the Canary Islands later this month could find themselves facing anti-tourism protests across some of the major hotspots in Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and La Palma.

The demonstrations are currently scheduled to kick off on April 20, with fake 'closed due to overtourism' signs reportedly being put up in parts of Lanzarote, where environmentalists say the island is being ruined by its own success.

I am sure this will delight local tourist business who need the income after the Covid years.

"Lanzarote has a limit" is the motto of the call on this island and is carried out by anonymous citizens "who do not represent any group or political party".

Messages are calling on locals to join whether they work in the hospitality sector or not, with organisers claiming that "the island is collapsing socially and environmentally" because it cannot cope with the volume of tourists that flock to its shores every year.

They condemn tourist overcrowding and its consequences "but not the arrival of tourists in a controlled and sustainable way."

Campaigners argue it is impossible to access housing and also criticise the congestion of health services, the collapse of the waste management system, the lack of water for consumption and the agricultural sector, the loss of quality of life, poor public transportation, overcrowding of protected spaces affected by multiple crimes and environmental infractions and the loss of biodiversity, among others.

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Earlier this month the president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, called for "common sense", adding that tourism is the "main source of employment and wealth" for the local economy. He said that tourists "come to enjoy themselves, to spend a few days and to leave their money in the Canary Islands". He also urged protesters to "be responsible in this action", as UK tourists bring in millions every spring and summer.

He told reporters: "What we cannot do is attack our main source of employment and wealth, because that would be irresponsible," adding that people should show "common sense and calm". Meanwhile, Asociacion Tinerfena de Amigos de la Naturaleza (ATAN), a Gran Canaria urban development group, released a statement saying: "The situation is alarming."

Tensions have amped up in recent months. In Tenerife, leaders called for calm amidst locals' anger as the mass protests were first announced. Organisers say they're not demonstrating against tourism or tourists, but against the saturation of the islands and the lack of measures to protect them from the growth of this industry that has a major impact on natural spaces and local resources.

Meanwhile, residents have increasingly urged for authorities to crackdown on tourism numbers, for example by demanding a tourism tax and stricter restrictions. There have been fears that the popular islands are on the brink of collapse as they struggle to cope with tourism numbers. In Palm-Mar, a small town on the southern side of the island, residents and visitors woke up to messages graffitied on walls which included urging tourists to 'go home' and adding that 'my misery, your paradise'.

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JB COMMENT:

This is like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Destroying tourism is not the way forward when the blame for all the problems is NOT the tourist - as I am sure every euro spent is willingly accepted and every bar, restaurant, hotel, casino and most of the shops, buses, airlines and even the local prostitutes - will benefit HUGELY by the tourist industry and it is not a Tourist Tax that is needed, what is needed is for the islands government to spent a little of its income on the problem and stop blaming the tourist - but get its own act together and do something about the lack of water - lack of housing - poor transport system - lower quality of life ( ? ) overcrowding of protected spaces leading to crime ( ? ) and environmental infractions and the loss of biodiversity - and all this is not down to tourists, it is down to local government to sort itself out and come up with a plan to ease the problems as claimed.

I don't actually disagree with a Tourist Tax and think it a good idea to maintain law and order and allow the normal police to get on with their jobs and leave the influx of tourists to its own police force - BUT - not at the expense to local business who are struggling since Covid to make a come back and where thousands of bars, hotels and hospitality properties have closed through lack of business and income.

Spain makes billions from tourists, so try spending some on your own infrastructure.

Tourists lay the golden egg that has allowed the islands to become wealthy and now they moan about the very thing that is creating their income and lifestyle. Stop blaming the tourists - as the number one source of income for the islands is tourism - and they moan ?

Villages in Cornwall who sell their homes to Londoners for a fortune and then complain there are no houses left for locals to afford - and who started that ball game - THE LOCALS WHO SOLD THEIR HOMES TO LONDONERS IN THE FIRST PLACE FOR A FORTUNE - and any problem is down to locals and not those buying the homes for holiday lets - as locals can buy if they wish and when selling at inflated prices to ' out of towners' - stop your bitching or give the money back, sell your property for a lot less to a local - or shut up.

Bournemouth beach on a busy summers day.

Bournemouth complains during the summer because of all the trash left behind by tourists on day trips that don't even spend any money in the town, and how they park all over the roads illegally - ( so tow them away and ticket them - it's a huge income earner ... and stop complaining all the time ) but with over 4 million visitors a year and with many millions that ARE spent in the town, IT'S WHAT BOURNEMOUTH IS FOR and all those OAP's who have moved here because its a great place for pensioners to live in retirement , STOP MOANING IN THE SUMMER WHEN THE TOWN FILLS WITH TOURISTS, THEY WERE HERE LONG BEFORE YOU DECIDED TO MOVE HERE.

Maybe there should be a charge to use the beaches - as many come for a day trip and spend nothing here while abusing what we have.

I do not know a local who shops in Bournemouth centre at all, and has not done so for years - it is TOURISTS who keep the town centre alive and kicking and the students with all their night clubs etc otherwise, the town centre would be dead...

Imagine: You have a big house with 4 bedrooms. You live there alone.

You rent out the extra rooms as the income is brilliant.

But it means you have to share your home with others. They take advantage.

They leave a mess sometimes.

They are not always as respectful to your property as they could be.

They are noisy.

They party at weekends,

They even come in late disturbing your sleep.

They park their cars all over the place.

When they leave, they leave a mess.

Now maybe you will need to spend a little of the money you have raked in - in rent - sorting the place out again ready to re let to someone else.

You do not bitch and complain while the money is coming in.

Just when you have to apply some of that money BACK into the infrastructure and maintenance of the building that gets extra wear and tear because you have renters , and you seem to miss the point entirely.

If you don't want the hassle, then don't rent the rooms.

If you want the extra income, then COMPROMISE is the magic word.

You cannot accept the money and then complain how you got it when you can simply stop and live alone -

a quiet life - And go bust.

The choice is yours.

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