The reputation of tourism in the Canary Islands has fallen in the second quarter of the year below passing (4.5 points out of 10) due to protests against tourist overcrowding, the conflict over the wages paid by the sector and the impact of its activity on the housing crisis.
It is the diagnosis made by the consultancy LLYC (Llorente y Cuenca) in the latest installment of its Tourism Perception Barometer, an analysis of messages published on social networks, forums and digital media that tries to measure the temperature of the digital conversation about tourism in the 17 Spanish communities.
In the case of the Canary Islands, its opinion is based on the review of 23,296 messages, 56.7% of them published outside the islands and 43.3% disseminated by residents in the autonomous community.
LLYC has been doing this monitoring since the first quarter of 2021, when the reputation of tourism reached 7.1 out of 10 in the Canary Islands. Two years later it touched its maximum, with 7.7 in March 2023 and then it has been oscillating between 6 and 7, with the exception of the second quarter of 2024, when it fell to 4.5, although it recovered.
Now it drops from 6.7 in March to 4.5 in June, in a context in which 13% of the messages analyzed talk about labor problems (during Easter, the sector faced a strike for wage demands), 12.2% of tourism phobia, 11.2% of governance issues, 11.2% of overcrowding and 9.8 of gentrification.
LLYC specifies that in the quarter there has also been talk of tourism in positive terms: record number of visitors (the Canary Islands have chained almost two full years above one million foreign tourists each month), promotion of sustainable tourism projects, modernization of infrastructure, rise of luxury tourism or more employment.
However, there are five issues that weigh down the digital conversation about tourism in the Canary Islands and its reputation: protests against mass tourism, the strike in the sector, the impact of tourism on housing, security and coexistence problems and the controversy over whether or not to implement a tourist tax on the islands.
"The protests have gained in intensity and visibility, attracting the attention of national and international media. The public perception is that mass tourism is depleting natural resources and generating social problems, such as the increase in the cost of housing and job insecurity. These tensions underscore the need to rethink the tourism model of the Canary Islands to make it more sustainable and equitable," says the consultant.
Regarding the issue of the housing crisis, LLYC points out that "the housing problem has become more relevant in the public debate, with demonstrations and demands for stricter regulation of the vacation rental market".
"The public perception is that tourism is contributing to gentrification and displacement of local communities, which has led to an increase in social tensions. This problem underscores the need for policies that balance tourism development with the well-being of residents," he warns.
Regarding the Easter strike, he points out that this protest "has marked a turning point in labor relations in the sector, evidencing the need to address working conditions in the tourism industry".
"The public perception is that, despite the records of tourists and turnover, the benefits are not translating into improvements for workers. This situation has generated a climate of tension and has highlighted the urgency of finding solutions that guarantee labor dignity in the sector," he adds.
