Thousands of people who organised a protest demonstration for the Canary Islands of Spain, one of the most tourist-hosting countries in the world, demanded that tourist entries to the island be stopped.
Drawing attention to the environmental impact of the tourism model in the Canary Islands, the protesters call for a halt to the construction of hotels, arguing that the current tourism model makes the cost of living unaffordable for islanders and is environmentally unsustainable.
''This is a message against a tourism model that does not benefit this land, not tourists, and that needs to be changed,'' said the protesters, who carried banners reading 'People live here' and 'We don't want to see our island die' and called for a halt to short-term holiday rentals and hotel construction at a protest in Tenerife attended by about 57,000 people, demanding a freeze on tourist arrivals to the island.
The demonstration, organised by some 20 environmental organisations and social groups, called on the authorities to impose an eco-tax to protect the environment and to stop the sale of property to non-residents, saying that the excessive increase in the number of tourists perpetuates an economic model that harms local people and damages the environment.
