The PSOE of Lanzarote has responded harshly to the attempt by the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, "to disguise the data" of tourism growth published in the Frontur report for the month of June. According to the Cabildo, Lanzarote "reinforces its profile as a controlled and sustainable destination" by registering an increase of 2.2% in the arrival of international tourists compared to June 2024.
The general secretary of the PSOE on the island and deputy in Congress, María Dolores Corujo, has described these statements as an "insult to the collective intelligence of Lanzarote." "To say that Lanzarote is containing tourism growth while eight new hotels are authorized, an illegal hotel like the Papagayo Arena is allowed to operate, the vacation rental skyrockets by 97% in just two years and an unprecedented housing emergency is aggravated... is laughing at the people of this island," Corujo denounced.
Corujo recalled that, since Oswaldo Betancort arrived at the Cabildo of Lanzarote and Fernando Clavijo at the Government of the Canary Islands, the island has gone from 5,198 tourist homes in June 2023 to 10,555 at present, according to the General Tourist Registry itself. "More than double. While families cannot find a decent home to live in, tourists have more options than ever to stay. Is that a contained and sustainable model?" Corujo asked.
"This is not just about how many tourists arrive in a specific month. It is about what consequences the tourism model has on the territory, water, housing, employment, mobility and the quality of life of the people. And right now, all of that is in decline. Lanzarote cannot stand more lies or more institutional makeup," she stated.
The PSOE has accused the Coalición Canaria government of living off headlines and institutional marketing while continuing without regulating vacation homes, without establishing real limits and without adopting protection measures for the territory and the resident population.
"This government has not lifted a finger to regulate vacation rentals. It has rejected a tourism moratorium. It refuses an ecotax. It has not defended a load limit for the island. On the contrary: they are governing at the dictate of the interests of the tourism business, even if that means condemning citizens to uprooting, precariousness and lack of housing," Corujo concluded.
