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In a completely unprecedented move for Spain, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands are finalising an agreement to develop an entente – a diplomatic understanding between two governments – to join forces in their fight against overcrowding and illegal tourist accommodation.

 

The issue itself is nothing new. While tourism is undeniably crucial to Spain’s economy and holidaymakers are welcomed up and down the country, it does bring its own problems. The proliferation of unregistered short-term apartments and villas is pushing up rents for residents, and popular hotspots have become flooded with tourism accommodation. This has led to widespread unrest and public demonstrations, particularly on the archipelagos.

 

For the Balearics and Canaries, the solution is to share their knowledge and experience, and use what they learn to draw up new laws and regulations.

 

The idea is that discussions will involve representatives from both the private and public sectors, who will meet periodically to discuss ways to tackle so-called over-tourism.

 

On the Balearic Islands, the entente has the full support of the Hotel Business Federation of Mallorca (FEHM), along with the Hotel and Non-Hotel Association of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.

 

This is an initiative that the Government's Department of Tourism, Culture and Exports has been working on for several months, convinced of the mutual benefits that can be extracted from this collaboration.

 

The two archipelagos hosted massive demonstrations throughout the past summer season due to the issue of tourist saturation. The Canary Islands were, in fact, the first autonomous community to do so. The protests even extended to last month’s Madrid International Tourism Fair, Fitur, where Canarian environmentalists demonstrated under the slogan ‘Mass Tourism Equals Poverty’.

 

Since then, the Canary Islands government has highlighted the problems associated with over-tourism. These extend beyond a lack of housing to include pressure on the region’s roads, beaches, streets and other public spaces.

 

Going forward, the authorities on both islands hope to create a space for dialogue to determine the negative effects of tourist activity and ultimately remedy them.

 

 

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