The deputy for Lanzarote and La Graciosa and insular president of Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista (NC-BC), Yoné Caraballo, denounced in the Parliament of the Canary Islands the “other reality” that is hidden behind the record tourism figures in the Islands, labor precarity, the housing crisis, and the enormous mobility difficulties suffered by thousands of workers in the tourism sector, especially on non-capital islands like Lanzarote or Fuerteventura.
During an address to the Minister of Tourism, Caraballo recalled that the Canary Islands received more than 18 million tourists in 2025 and generated tourism spending exceeding 23,000 million euros. “The macroeconomic data is going like a whip, yes, but that money is not reaching those who truly sustain the sector,” he stated.
Caraballo focused on the situation of chambermaids, waiters, cooks, gardeners, and maintenance staff, whose salaries “do not allow them to live with dignity” in tourist municipalities where rents are “simply impossible.” In this regard, he denounced that many workers are forced to share rooms in peripheral neighborhoods of Arrecife, paying between 500 and 600 euros for a room.
The Canarian politician also recounted the case of “Charo,” a sector worker who has to get up at four in the morning to walk several kilometers to a bus stop to be able to arrive on time for her job in Playa Blanca. “There are people who spend more time commuting than resting. That is the reality that many want to hide when they boast about the tourism success of the Canary Islands,” he pointed out.
Furthermore, he criticized the serious shortcomings of public transport in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura and called for direct involvement from the Government of the Canary Islands to promote specific solutions for tourism workers, even though the responsibilities lie with the island councils and town halls.
Among the proposals put forward by NC-BC are the creation of express lines for tourism workers, financed through agreements between the regional Executive, the island councils, and hotel employers' associations. These routes would connect residential areas such as Argana Alta with tourist hubs like Playa Blanca or Puerto del Carmen, with schedules adapted to the sector's work shifts.
“If tourism generates so much wealth, the least we can do is guarantee decent living conditions for those who make that industry possible every day,” Caraballo concluded.
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