Tourism reckoning

This Christmas, Lanzarote will receive a record amount of tourists. For an island which depends on tourism for most of its income, that should be good news. But not everybody is happy.

Lanzarote’s recovery from the complete collapse of tourism during and after the pandemic of 2020 has been impressive and continues. This winter season will bring 13% more flights than last year, and the island is likely to be fuller than ever over the Christmas period.

But many are feeling that things have now gone too far. In late October, a second round of protests against the effects of mass tourism took place, organised by the Canarias Tiene Un Límite association.

In contrast with the protests of April, which were held in the island’s capitals, the October demos happened in the resorts. The aim was not to confront tourists – all protests were peaceful and generally good-humoured – but to embarrass the authorities who worry about the image of the island.

The UK’s sensational press has helped the protestors with this aim, printing wild exaggerations about the protests, and concern that the protests might be putting tourists off from Lanzarote led to a counter-protest by a local business under the slogan “Lanzarote Loves Tourism”.

Nevertheless, the second round of protests was markedly less well-attended than the April demos, and certain sources in the tourism sector believe they may be losing momentum.

The Canarian authorities have generally been respectful of the demands of the protests. After all, the stated aim for tourism has been to reduce quantity and increase quality (attracting higher-spending tourists) for several years, and reducing the pressures caused by mass tourism is widely supported by public opinion.

But since the first protest, the Canarian Government has rejected calls for a tourist tax, while its refusal to introduce a moratorium on holiday lets has led to an avalanche of applications before its restrictive new law comes into operation.

On Lanzarote, the constant water cuts that are being suffered by rural areas, while the tourist resorts remain unaffected, have also fuelled anger. In October a group of activists entered the Hotel Papagayo Arena in Playa Blanca carrying placards saying, “Our Water Is In Your Pool” and filled bottles with water from the swimming pool.

Of course, Lanzarote isn’t alone in having problems with tourism. You’ll find the same complaints about AirBnbs, the impact of social media and pressure on local services everywhere from Cornwall to Istanbul.

As a result, protests and dissatisfaction are likely to rumble on, but it will continue to be directed at local authorities rather than tourists. The simple fact is that no matter what they print about Lanzarote, holidaymakers who love the island keep on coming in ever greater numbers.