Lanzarote ought to be pleased with the continued growth and record-breaking performance of its tourist industry, but instead there’s a growing feeling of nervousness and dissatisfaction. Many are asking: “How long can this continue?”
By the end of July 2,026,861 tourists had arrived on Lanzarote in 2025, over a million of them from the UK. This is an increase of 4.6% on the same period of 2024, which holds the record for tourist arrivals.
Five years after the Covid pandemic destroyed the island’s main industry, tourism has recovered to unprecedented levels. The island has never experienced tourism on this scale before and it is starting to show.
When the average number of tourists is added to the number of residents, Lanzarote’s population at any given time is currently 245,000 people, 40,000 more than a decade ago. Infrastructure, facilities and public services designed for a smaller population are increasingly under pressure.
Employment is up but wages remain low and affordable housing is almost impossible to find. Meanwhile, locals increasingly come across tourists in places where they would never previously be seen, from Airbnbs in the backstreets of Arrecife to “secret” rock pools on the coast.
One year ago, organisers of the first protest against the effects of mass tourism in April 2024 held another protest on 20th October, claiming that authorities had “ignored” their demands. A year on and it seems the protesters continue to be completely ignored, despite the lip service given by certain politicians.
One of their demands is a tourist tax, following the example set by many destinations in Europe. However, Canarian President Fernando Clavijo, who initially said that he would have joined the protests when he was younger, recently rejected the idea of a tax yet again, on the debatable grounds that it would adversely affect the “green” islands of La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.
Other demands have also been ignored, such as a moratorium on tourist beds, the paralysis and demolition of illegal building projects and a residency law that will restrict the rights of non-residents to purchase property.
In fact, last month licences were granted for developments that will establish almost 1,000 more tourist beds in Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise. The protestors seem to be right when they claim no one is listening
BRITAIN’S BIZARRE OBSESSION
Meanwhile, in the UK, national and local newspapers are inventing stories about Spanish tourism that appear to have no relation to reality.
Recently, the Mirror, the Daily Record and several local titles owned by Reach plc ran a story declaring “Spain is finished”, while the Express, Mail and Sun declared “Benidorm is empty”.
In both cases the story was based on a couple of photographs of empty streets and bars in single streets in Barcelona and Benidorm, which appeared to be taken in mid-afternoon in August (when many locals are on holiday).
The TikTokkers who had posted the photos each claimed that the deserted streets were the result of British people staying away from resorts because of the protests, and the papers printed these claims without question, but what they failed to mention is that both destinations are enjoying higher numbers of tourist arrivals than ever.
Lanzarote is no exception to the rule, beating tourism records in every month of the year so far. However, one concern is a notable fall in tourist spending in the second quarter of 2025, with a decrease in spending across the board, but especially on accommodation (due to shorter stays) and flights.
But Lanzarote, Benidorm, Barcelona and Spain are far from dead, and the effect of the protests on tourism numbers appears to be precisely zero. That probably won’t stop the British press, though. They know that alarming and misinforming the millions of Brits who visit Spain every year guarantees clicks.
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