The Canary Islands government is looking for “quality over quantity” when it comes to tourists, after a year rife with anti-tourism protests.
The new approach seeks to move away from the all-inclusive “sun and beach” model to instead promote environmentally conscious and sustainable tourism.
“We are trying to move away from the Simpson tourist, who is very predatory of the environment, towards a more conscious tourist,” said Alfonso Cabello Mesa, deputy minister of the presidency of the Canary Islands government, to OKDIARIO.
Although projections for 2024 point to a record 16 million visitors, Cabello Mesa added that “we are betting on quality over quantity” to focus on the economic impact each tourist generates.
This sustainablility focus can be seen in the construction of hotels. After the pandemic, the focus was on reforming tourist beds that already existed to make them more efficient, instead of making more.
Government is also investing in water desalination through renewable energy.
Tourism is fundamental to the Canary Islands economy, making up almost 30% of the regional GDP, more than double the national average of 12.4%. It also has the highest number of repeat tourists in the whole of Spain.
Cabello Mesa acknowledged the importance of tourism: “We cannot give up on volume because volume generates income.
“The challenge is to find a balance between maintaining the economic weight of the sector and developing a more sustainable and beneficial model for the territory and its inhabitants.”
This comes after a year of anti-tourism protests across Europe, as residents from popular cities in Spain made a stand against the number of visitors.
Locals sprayed tourists with water pistols in Barcelona, and in Mallorca, residents sat on beach towels to show how they feel about their beaches being overrun.
