Canarias Tiene un Límite has submitted its proposal for a tourist moratorium to the Ministry of Tourism for its approval in the drafting of the new Tourism Law. Among the proposals, it asks that the creation of new tourist places of "any type of accommodation" be limited, new constructions that imply "an increase in tourist pressure," and tourist projects, such as theme parks, so that they cannot be protected by "figures of interest."
The collectives that make up this platform have indicated that the social mobilizations that have occurred in recent years throughout the islands, including Lanzarote, show the "unquestionable existence of a social consensus in the Canary Islands population" on the current model, based on unlimited tourism growth, "has exceeded the archipelago's carrying capacity".
Thus, they have indicated that there are "clear and tangible symptoms": problems in access to housing, loss of biodiversity, alteration of the landscape, discharge of wastewater, collapse of basic services, alarming rates of poverty and social exclusion, etc. In short, we are facing social, cultural, environmental, and economic imbalances that are impossible to ignore.
The proposal for a temporary suspension of accommodation growth defended by Canarias Tiene un Límite appeals to "the urgency of implementing measures" that consider the limits of the territory and its resources, social and economic impacts, pressure on infrastructure and the environment, as well as the competitiveness and sustainability of the destination itself.
Furthermore, it systematizes "one of the great slogans" of the 20A demonstrations and subsequent ones: the request for a tourist moratorium, a demand that was also validated in the participatory process Canarias Palante and in the document “80 and some measures for the change of model” prepared from the proposals of citizens and more than 70 collectives from all the islands.
“In the early 90s, the Canary institutions themselves already recognized that the carrying capacity was exceeded and the citizens demanded a brake that, despite various moratoria occurring, was never made effective. After more than 30 years of uncontrolled tourism growth, we believe that the need to activate that brake once and for all is unquestionable,” they have indicated.
A fundamental strategic line
A moratorium is not the only proposal from Canarias Tiene un Límite, but it is the fundamental strategic line on which to intervene from public policy to move towards a model that is ecologically sustainable, reduces inequalities, improves the quality of life of the local population, and guarantees a habitable future for these islands.
“We cannot talk about the sustainability of the sector while land continues to be consumed at an alarming rate on islands that are so limited and fragile,” they continued.
From Canarias Tiene un Límite they have asked institutions, political parties, and all actors related to the tourism industry itself to work to make a reality "the main demand of the large social mobilizations of recent years", without which a regulation that aims to order tourism would not be understood, and thus be able to advance in other equally important measures aimed at the environmental and social sustainability of the sector.
"A well-designed moratorium is something that is already working in other territories and that is indispensable to face the future of the Canary Islands and the sustainability of the tourism sector itself," they concluded.
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