Lanzarote is known worldwide for its volcanic landscape, golden beaches, and rich cultural offerings, presenting an idyllic image that attracts millions of tourists every year. However, behind this dazzling facade, there are structural and social problems that severely affect the residents of the island and require urgent attention and effective solutions.
Although tourism is our main economic activity and is, for now, irreplaceable, the quality of life has been deteriorating: housing shortage, abusive prices, inability to fill positions in priority areas such as education, health, state security forces, and the judiciary, lack of control in the vehicle fleet, and the lack of protection of the landscape. Despite promises of improvements and quality tourism that leaves more resources at the destination without the need for so many massive arrivals, the island's inhabitants remain dissatisfied with the increasing negative externality, as evidenced on April 20 when more than 10,000 people took to the streets in Lanzarote to say that "the Canary Islands have a limit."
The uncontrolled increase in visitors does not improve the income level of residents, deteriorates the volcanic landscape due to the carbon footprint of each visitor, increases the number of vehicles on the roads, hindering the mobility of residents and increasing the number of accidents and pollution. The island has limited and insufficient resources that are strained with the arrival of each tourist, such as water scarcity and saturation in the health or care service.
Part of the solution would be to limit hotel and vacation rental licenses; establish a maximum number of rental cars according to the extension of the territory and the number of population; establish a tourist tax, as long as said tax is earmarked to improve sustainability; or limit the docking of cruise ships per day, which is increasing, etc.
Beyond all this, I want each person who reads this article to ask themselves: how far will we go? How long can we live at this unlimited pace? How long will we accept living in these conditions on our island?
I know that there are many more issues that affect us in our daily lives, but we must demand that this change now. We cannot continue to suffer the conditions in which we live; it costs us more and more and we find ourselves unable to live with dignity on our island. It is essential that both local authorities and the tourism sector recognize and address these problems comprehensively and jointly. There must be coordination between the economic and public sectors that guarantees a just transition to a more sustainable tourism model, controlled, friendly to the territory, and that generates a better redistribution of wealth.
Lanzarote (and also La Graciosa) cannot and should not continue to bear the pressure of mass tourism without seeing the promised improvements. It is time for the authorities and the sectors involved to take decisive measures to transform the economic model, prioritizing sustainability and the well-being of its inhabitants. Only then can we continue to be a dream destination, not only for tourists but for all those who want to call this island our "home."
Lanzarote is our home and we deserve to live with dignity and in adequate conditions. Let's not let empty promises determine our future. The island needs our commitment and our struggle to guarantee a better tomorrow.
