DinSide has on several occasions written about the growing dissatisfaction with mass tourism in several places around the Mediterranean, and especially the Canary Islands.
Recently, we were also able to tell the story of Swedish Ann-Catrin Martinsson, who has lived on Gran Canaria for 24 years. She has noticed a big change in her view of foreigners and tourists.
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In short
- Despite growing dissatisfaction with mass tourism in the Canary Islands, the travel company Ving reports that their guests have not felt unwelcome.
- The dissatisfaction is directed at the private market where apartments and holiday homes are rented out to tourists, which makes it difficult and expensive for the local population to find housing.
- Ving emphasizes that their hotels are built for tourists and contribute positively with jobs.
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– I started to feel a nagging feeling a year and a half ago. A year ago it became more noticeable. I have felt people look at me with hatred, or push in front of me on the bus. Some have even put their shopping bag next to them on the seat when they sit down, she said, among other things, and made the following request:
– I would not recommend tourists to go and live in Las Palmas right now.
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Be prepared
Now the travel company Ving strikes back and de-dramatizes the situation on the popular islands.
– We have not received any comments from guests that they feel unwelcome, says communications manager at Ving in Sweden, Claes Pellevik to Expressen.
Before the announced demonstration started, the company sent out an SMS to all travelers in the area.
Nor are the Norwegian Ving guests reported to have reported any incidents related to this.
Country manager for Ving in Norway, Marie-Anne Zachrisson, tells DinSide that they had informed their guests in advance, and that they had prepared SMS messages with information, if the demonstration was going to affect their guests.
– I am not aware that any of our guests contacted us about this, she writes in an e-mail to DinSide.
Demonstrating in Tenerife: – Thousands of people
Pushes the prices
TUI Norway’s communications manager, Anne Mørk Løwengreen, explains that the demonstration is not aimed at travel operators, but rather the private market where apartments and holiday homes are rented out to tourists.
– This has had the consequence that it is difficult and expensive for the local population to find a place to live. Our hotels are built for tourists, and instead contribute positively with jobs. The Canary Islands depend on organized tourism of this type, she says in an email.
– During the large tourism fair ITB in Berlin recently, the housing shortage, which is caused by private tourism, was discussed with authorities from several countries. Here, the entire tourism industry must jointly contribute to finding good solutions that contribute to more housing being available for those who live and work in the Canary Islands, she continues.
Zachrisson also points to this.
– It is not the tourists who travel on charter holidays and stay in hotels who are dissatisfied – on the contrary – tourism is the Canary Islands’ most important source of income. The criticism we see now is mainly about the local tourism policy, she explains.
– The demonstrations are a clear signal to the politicians that the local population wants changes in this policy.
