The environmental group, Ben Magec (Ecologists in Action), said that the attendance at the April 20 demonstrations (A20) across the Canary Islands, for an alternative tourism model was "a resounding success" with around 150,000 people joining in, not only in the islands but also in cities across Spain, plus London, Berlin, and Amsterdam in what they deem "a historic milestone."
According to a statement they released today, Sunday, this success should prompt authorities to "take decisive action" as the people have spoken and they want change.
Ben Magec believes that the goal for island authorities should be to establish new regulations "that set limits and regulate tourist activity, while also putting the benefits it generates at the disposal of the majority." The organisation says that “citizens are demanding a new development model, as demonstrated by the protests”.
They also said, "The time has come for decisive actions towards tourist reduction and restructuring our economy, with social and environmental justice at the forefront, placing life at the centre and ensuring the well-being of future generations in the face of alarming climate changes."
The demands come after the protests clearly showcased, according to the organisation, "the strong rejection of Canarian society towards the current tourism model in the Canary Islands, based on mass tourism in a fragile and limited territory,” for which residents of the archipelago "demand urgent measures to reverse it."
Ben Magec points out that "the ecological movement, since the time of César Manrique, has been denouncing the plundering of our natural spaces to serve this industry," and that "the exponential and uncontrolled growth of tourist arrivals to these islands is straining coexistence both within and outside tourist areas."
Canarians living in London also joined in with the 20A protests
They emphasise that "the growing touristification of our territory is already encompassing urban and rural areas, and the global gentrification generated by this activity is preventing access to housing for a large number of people with precarious incomes and lives." Additionally, they argue that "the increasing and massive influx of tourists is saturating all our natural resources, infrastructure, and services."
In conclusion, the federation highlights: "This is why we demand that urgent measures be taken by public institutions to alleviate the gentrification favoured by their neoliberal policies," and that the political class "commit to a sustainable tourism model and implement a targeted ecotax aimed at mitigating the environmental impacts of this activity."
"But above all," they said, "to reinstate the tourism moratorium and, in the face of a climate emergency and the collapse of our natural habitats, not allow a single centimetre more of land to be consumed for the benefit of the tourism industry and other speculative purposes."
In summary, they demand that the political parties "stop bending to the interests of big business in the tourism industry."
