Thousands protest against Canary islands’ ‘unsustainable’ tourism model

Local people say archipelago’s outdated industry made life unaffordable and prompts environmental emergencies

Thousands of people will join protests across the Canary islands on Saturday to call for an urgent rethink of the Spanish archipelago’s tourism industry and a freeze on tourist numbers, arguing that the current, decades-old model has made life unaffordable and environmentally unsustainable for local people.

The protests – which will take place under the banner “Canarias tiene un límite” (The Canaries have a limit) – are being backed by environmental groups including Greenpeace, WWF, Ecologists in Action, Friends of the Earth and SEO/Birdlife.