Canary Islands in panic at tourist boycott and calls for 'national pact' against protests

The Canary Islands are calling for an urgent national pact across Spain in defence of tourism in the face of escalating demonstrations.

The popular holiday destination, which includes Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, says the brand of the islands and Spain as a whole is being dented by the protests over mass tourism.

Government leaders in the Canaries says Spain has to take a united stance against the escalating situation and reverse the "negative stance."

And they warn scenes in Barcelona last week when tourists were sprayed with water should be regarded as "very worrying".

Calling for united action at national level, Minister of Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands, Jessica de Leon said: "We need strategic policies on the tourism sector to be implemented in Spain and tourism activity to be defended and not put at the centre of problems that have nothing to do with the reality of tourism."

The first mass tourism protests were held in the Canary Islands in April when thousands took to the streets to demand action. Campaigners said there are too many holidaymakers visiting the islands, leading to a variety of problems, including unaffordable housing rents, too many rental cars, packed beaches, over-flowing beauty spots, clogged up roads and damage to the environment.

That demonstration sparked off similar protest marches in the Balearics, which include Mallorca and Ibiza, and on the Spanish mainland.

All were peaceful except in Barcelona where firecrackers were set off in hotel foyers and holidaymakers sprayed with water, scenes which were "regretted" by the regional and national governments.

More protests are now planned in both the Canaries and the Balearics.

Jessica de Leon said during a Parliamentary debate that "it is necessary to prevent the Canary Islands brand and the Spain brand from being affected by this type of mobilisations."

She has called on the Ministry of Industry and Tourism to promote "a pact in defence of tourism".

"We have been talking about tourism in a negative sense, there have been demonstrations in the Canary Islands that have spread to the rest of the territory," she said. "It is necessary to prevent the Canary Islands brand and the Spain brand from being affected by this type of demonstrations, not so much those held in the archipelago, but also the "image" transmitted in the Barcelona demonstration on July 6th. This should be very worrying to the Spanish tourism brand."

And she added: "In Europe we are the Canary Islands but in the rest of the world we go under the umbrella of Turespana."