Tourists in the Canary Islands recently watched as thousands of demonstrators marched near their hotels, advocating for limits on mass tourism. They believe that the booming tourism industry is overwhelming this Atlantic archipelago.

According to a report by Central News Agency, citing Agence France-Presse, the protesters rallied under the slogan “The Canary Islands have limits,” initiating their march around noon across seven major tourist hotspots in the islands.

Demonstrators gathered outside a conference center in Maspalomas on Gran Canaria, the only water park on Fuerteventura, and in the nightlife area of Playa de las Americas at the southwestern tip of Tenerife.

Waving the white, blue, and yellow flags of the Canary Islands, they shouted slogans and whistled as they passed tourists seated on outdoor terraces in Playa de las Americas, eventually congregating on the beach.

Under the gaze of sunbathers lounging under umbrellas, they chanted, “This beach is ours!”

Earlier this April, towns throughout the islands witnessed massive protests against tourism models that prioritize investor profits over environmental sustainability, resulting in local residents losing their homes and being forced into unstable jobs.

Eugenio Reyes Naranjo, a spokesperson for the environmental organization Ben Magec-Ecologists in Action, expressed, “Tourism is bringing poverty, unemployment, and suffering to the Canary Islands.”

Protesters held signs reading “The Canary Islands are not for sale” and “Enough is enough,” calling for restrictions on tourist numbers, a crackdown on vacation rentals, and limits on what they describe as uncontrolled development.

Officials reported that around 10,000 individuals participated in the protests, with the largest demonstration taking place in Tenerife, drawing approximately 6,500 attendees.

Last year, the number of visitors to the Canary Islands reached a record 16.2 million, a 10.9% increase from 2022, which is more than seven times the islands’ population of about 2.2 million. Protesters argue that the limited resources of the islands cannot support such a high number of tourists.