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Thousands protest in Tenerife amid rising housing costs due to tourism boom
People march during a mass demonstration against over tourism, which affects the local population with inaccessible housing, among other things, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, April 20, 2024
THOUSANDS of people on the Spanish island of Tenerife protested over the weekend for a temporary limit to tourist arrivals amid rising housing costs for locals.
Protesters in the capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife held up placards on Saturday reading: “People live here” and “We don’t want to see our island die.”
Organisers called for a stem to the boom in short-term holiday rentals and hotel construction, demanding changes to the tourism industry that accounts for 35 per cent of GDP in the Canary Islands archipelago.
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