A senior airline executive has warned that the region’s tourism industry could be seriously jeopardised if political leaders do not address the mounting concerns of locals.

Christian Lesjak, the commercial director of Condor Airlines, spoke out at the FVW Travel Talk conference in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, amidst growing protests over the impact of mass tourism, Canarian Weekly reports

He said that without careful management, politicians risk damaging tourism in the Canary Islands and when he was asked for a message to those calling for limits on tourism, he urged them to “apply pressure on politicians, who need to take responsibility.”

The conference, which took place on February 16th, was overshadowed by demonstrations organised by the activist group Canarias Tiene Un Límite (The Canary Islands have a limit).

Protesters gathered outside the venue to call for immediate action against the region’s unsustainable tourism model, which they claim is harming both the local community and the environment.

The FVW Travel Talk conference is a major event in the German tourism sector, where 50 industry experts and German travel agents convened at Hotel Mencey for the gathering this year. 

Christian Lesjak said at the conference: “If politicians are not careful, they will put the tourism in the Canary Islands at risk.”

In an interview with GeoTenerife, an organisation that recently gained national geological interest status for Tenerife’s Puertito de Adeje, Lesjak recognised the validity of the protesters’ concerns and emphasised the importance of protecting the island’s cultural and ecological integrity.

The demonstration, supported by the Telesforo Bravo Juan Coello Foundation, a Canary Islands-based organisation focused on protecting the region’s natural environment, aimed to oppose mass tourism, which the group argues is damaging the Canary Islands.

The protestors highlighted the unsustainable growth in tourism, with the region hosting 18 million tourists in 2024.

Canarias Tiene Un Límite said that after various protests in the islands, the government of the Canary Islands has not listened to its population and warned that this will be the first of several acts of boycott of mass tourism. 

In October 2024, thousands took to the streets and holiday resorts across the Canary Islands to protest overtourism and call for changes to the tourism model to protect the region.

Concerned about the sustainability of the current system, residents held several protests throughout 2024, often holding signs with slogans such as “The Canary Islands have a limit.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *