On May 18, thousands of people demonstrated on the island against the excesses of tourism as it is currently conceived.
Last year, the Canary Islands were pioneers in Spain in showing popular discontent with tourism based on ever-increasing arrival figures, with demonstrations throughout the archipelago.
According to a study by the UK Consumers Association (Which), based on data from the European Commission, among the hundreds of destinations across the European continent, Lanzarote is the fourth with the highest tourism pressure.
The European Commission defines tourism pressure by the number of tourists per resident. Specifically, it calculates the number of nights tourists spend in a destination compared to the number of residents.
Thus, Lanzarote has a tourism pressure of 117 overnight stays per resident, the fourth highest among all destinations in Europe.
This tourism pressure is only surpassed by three destinations. The first is the Greek island of Zakynthos, where there are 150 overnight stays per resident.
The second most congested destination on the continent is the Croatian region of Istria, where there is a tourism pressure of 133 nights per inhabitant, while the third is Fuerteventura, where it is 117.
After Lanzarote, in fifth place, are the Greek Dodecanese islands, where the pressure is 113 nights per resident.
"What this data shows is that excessive tourism has saturated some of Europe's most popular destinations. With so many fantastic places in Europe, the truth is that you will enjoy a much better vacation in a destination where there are not hundreds or even thousands more tourists than locals," explained Rory Boland, editor of Which.
In any case, it is worth remembering that the Canary Islands are visited by tourists throughout the year, while other destinations are more seasonal, so the tourism pressure is more noticeable when concentrated in a few months.
The top ten are completed by the Austrian Tyrol (112), the Alpine area around Salzburg, also in Austria (109), the Cyclades Islands in Greece (104), the Greek island of Corfu (100) and the Austrian district, also Alpine, of Reutte (97).
Which's analysis recommends quieter destinations to Britons, such as Lille in France, or the country of Estonia in its entirety.
For those who prefer to stay in Spain, the British consumer association recommends Murcia, the least visited part of the Spanish Mediterranean coast.
By the way, the least visited destination in Europe is Teleorman, a district in southern Romania, where there are 20 overnight stays per 1,000 inhabitants.