The candidate for the Presidency of the Insular Council of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, deputy Yoné Caraballo, has stated that the intense population growth that the island has experienced during the last two decades is a direct consequence of the tourist development model promoted by different administrations, based on the continuous increase in accommodation capacity and tourist activity.
“Lanzarote has not grown by itself. The population has increased because for years a certain economic model has been favored that has needed to incorporate thousands of workers to sustain permanent tourist growth. People come to Lanzarote because there is employment linked, fundamentally, to tourism,” says Caraballo.
In just over twenty years, Lanzarote has gone from just over 110,000 inhabitants to exceeding 166,000 residents, an increase of almost 50%, while the tourism sector has continued to expand its accommodation capacity and consolidate record visitor numbers. This demographic growth has been accompanied by increasing pressure on housing, water resources, mobility, healthcare, education, and public services on the island.
For the Canarian nationalist candidate, focusing the debate solely on a possible Residency Law, although it may respond to a legitimate concern, means addressing the consequences and not the origin of the problem.
“We can debate a Residency Law, but if we continue to authorize more hotel beds and expand the island's tourist capacity, we will continue to need to attract more labor. In other words, we will continue to feed the same model that generates population growth. The root of the problem is not with those who come to work; it is with an economic model that knows no limits.”
Caraballo insists that people who come to Lanzarote are looking for a job opportunity and a better life, filling jobs that the island's economic system demands.
Furthermore, he points to Coalición Canaria (CC) as one of the main responsible parties for the model that, in his opinion, has led Lanzarote to this situation.
“Those who are alarmed today by demographic growth are the same ones who for years have rolled out the red carpet for speculation and unlimited tourism growth. CC has favored a model based on increasing tourist beds without measuring its consequences on the territory, housing, or public services. One cannot feed developmentism and then be surprised by its effects,” highlights the deputy.
Faced with this situation, Yoné Caraballo proposes establishing a moratorium on Lanzarote's tourism development to allow for a collective reflection process on the island's future.
“We need to stop to decide. Stop the growth in tourist beds until we recover the balance between population, territory, and economy. Lanzarote needs to breathe, plan, and decide what model it wants for future generations. It is not about being against tourism; it is about setting limits to ensure that the island remains habitable for those of us who live here.”
The candidate concludes that Lanzarote's main challenge is no longer to grow, but to manage its limits responsibly, recovering the philosophy of sustainability and territorial planning that for decades made the island an international benchmark.
“The time has come to ask ourselves how much more Lanzarote can withstand. The answer is not to continue growing, but to protect our territory, our quality of life, and our future.”