Blow to Brit tourists as another Canary Island may order new hotel ban

A nationalist consultation asks radical for their sentiment connected the island's tourism exemplary - and galore person demanded a prohibition connected caller hotels and vacation homes

Sun-worshipping Brits whitethorn request to find a caller vacation hotspot pursuing years of increasing tension. A whopping 15.5 cardinal planetary tourists visited the Canary Islands past year, a Spanish-owned archipelago disconnected the seashore of northwestern Africa, 40 per cent of which travelled from the UK.

Tenerife led the craze, with much than 6.2 cardinal planetary visitors and 900,000 domestic. Gran Canaria followed with astir 4 cardinal tourists from overseas, which is highly awesome considering it is simply a whopping 500km² smaller than Tenerife - and is really the third largest land successful some country and altitude.

However, past twelvemonth besides saw thousands of locals taking to the streets to protestation the over-tourism connected the archipelago. Chanting the slogan 'Canary Islands has a limit', residents with placards stormed tourist-heavy hotspots specified arsenic hotels and beaches to hammer location the connection to British tourists.

Protestors had respective demands, including a impermanent prohibition connected vacation homes to forestall residents from being priced retired of the spot market, a tourer taxation connected overseas visitors to guarantee amended attraction for protected areas, arsenic good arsenic accrued wages and a fairer organisation of wealthiness generated by tourism. Now, a edifice prohibition whitethorn besides beryllium connected the list.

The Gran Canaria Cabildo (government) has opened a nationalist consultation asking citizens for their sentiment connected the island's tourism model. The 11-question survey volition stay unfastened until the extremity of the period (February 28) and acknowledges that the taxable has 'never been truthful wide debated'.

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According to section quality outlet Canarian Weekly, galore residents person responded to the question 'What changes would you marque to Gran Canaria's existent tourism model?' with calls for a moratorium connected caller edifice and vacation accommodation developments. "Many respondents reason that limiting enlargement is indispensable to forestall further strain connected section resources and residential housing," the work added.

Other suggestions see large-scale projects to assistance sphere the island's earthy landscapes and to U-turn connected developments that 'destroy the island' - arsenic good arsenic shifting the prioritisation implicit to locals, alternatively than tourists. The Cabildo has said the consultations results could play a 'key role' successful determining the aboriginal absorption of the island's tourism sector, which contributes astir 35 per cent of their GDP.

No edifice prohibition has been implemented yet, and determination has been nary confirmation this would beryllium permanent. However, specified a regularisation could spot holidays connected the hotspot summation successful terms owed to higher request and little availability.

Should the Canary Islands present a edifice ban? Have your accidental successful the comments conception below