Sunday’s protests against the mass tourism model in the Canary Islands have been ‘sensationalised’ in media across key European tourist markets, including the UK, Germany, France, and the Benelux countries, with warnings and misleading headlines for holidaymakers.
The British media, representing the Canary Islands' largest source market for international visitors, provided the most extensive coverage, with outlets such as The Independent, The Mirror, Daily Express, The Sun, Metro and the Daily Mail all reporting on the protests, with some offering live updates.
However, as expected, tabloid headlines have focused on the more sensational aspects, including claims that locals were urging tourists to leave and reports that some British holidaymakers stayed confined to their hotel rooms out of fear of being caught up in the demonstrations. These claims are ridiculous as the peaceful protests took place in the capital cities of the islands and not tourist areas.
In Germany, media outlets including Die Zeit, Tagesschau, and Stern covered the events, highlighting placards seen at the protests bearing slogans such as “Canarias no se vende” ("The Canary Islands are not for sale") and “Canarias ya no es un paraíso” ("The Canaries are no longer a paradise"), which are both true.
French publications such as TV5 Monde and 20 Minutes also reported on the unrest, describing the islands as being “on the verge of suffocation” due to unsustainable tourism levels, which is something people are protesting against.
Meanwhile, coverage from the Netherlands' de telegraaf and Belgium's hln emphasised the imbalance between the number of residents and tourists, pointing to the growing strain this is placing on local infrastructure and quality of life, which again, is one of the main points on the manifesto.
So why do the UK media continue to glorify the protests and try to scare British people, when other press outlets from around Europe focus on the facts that the protests are against the government for real reasons and not against the tourists themselves?
This heightened international scrutiny reflects the increasing concern among residents in the Canary Islands about the long-term impact of overtourism, ranging from environmental degradation to unaffordable housing and strained public services, at a time when the region remains one of Europe’s most visited holiday destinations.
