19.4% of Majorcans upset by the flood of tourists

Although 87.3% Say Tourism Is Very Important for Their Island

With the archipelago on the verge of breaking its annual visitor‑record again and after months of protests by social groups, the National University of Distance Education (UNED) decided to gauge this year what islanders think about the sector that drives their economy and employment. 58% of Canary residents consider that the islands receive a proportionate volume of visitors, while only 20.7% see it as excessive.

Based on 1,511 interviews, almost nine out of ten Canary Islanders (87.3%) acknowledge that tourism is very important for their island, and three out of four feel the same about their own municipality.

Main Concerns

Migration: 16.1%
Housing and rentals: 11.8%
Health‑care and social‑health services: 10.2%
Unemployment: 10.2%

The highest rates of residents annoyed by visitor numbers are found in:

Gran Canaria – 23.1%
Lanzarote – 23.0%
Tenerife – 19.4%
Fuerteventura – 19.4%

Attitudes Toward Tourists

28.9% reject “tourist‑phobia” and are happy with the influx of many tourists.
22.9% say “people don’t care.”
40.5% admit some degree of rejection, broken down as:
- 1.9% think there are too many tourists,
- 12.4% think there are some,
- 26.2% say it happens only in certain cases.

Specific sources of irritation:

24.2% are bothered by all‑inclusive tourists
13.3% dislike mass tourism
14.4% are annoyed by all tourists
7.9% are troubled by noisy tourists

Perception of Local Conditions

58.2% consider the availability of affordable housing insufficient (vs. 31.4% who view it positively).
57.2% have a negative view of the cost of living (vs. 34.7% positive).
46.0% rate healthcare and transport negatively (vs. 36.7% positive).
46.9% see public safety unfavorably (vs. 34.7% favorable).
44.4% judge environmental conservation negatively (vs. 40.6% favorable).

Benefits Attributed to Tourism

75.9% say tourism positively contributes to employment (vs. 17.7% who disagree).
62.5% believe it boosts infrastructure development (vs. 27.4%).
63.6% think it generates wealth (vs. 24.0%).
50.2% feel it improves quality of life (vs. 37.5%).

Measures for the Demographic Challenge

It is clear that tourism is the main engine of the islands’ economy, but some measures are needed to set limits and improve residents’ quality of life. The Canary Islands Government has approved the Demographic Challenge and Territorial Cohesion Strategy, together with its Executive Action Plan (PAE), to guide public planning in the coming years toward a more balanced and socially sustainable territory.

The document incorporates 66 contributions from institutions, social agents, and citizens, marking the archipelago’s first comprehensive effort to tackle rural depopulation and urban saturation.
It outlines 43 measures and 428 actions aimed at both retaining population in municipalities at risk of depopulation and regulating growth in areas under high demographic pressure.

Key Initiatives

Improved access to housing
Reforms in education, environment, tourism, and local development
Actions to strengthen territorial sustainability

The participatory process was crucial: 74% of citizen proposals were fully incorporated.

Notable Measures

Demographic Challenge Dashboards and SITCAN – integrate over 100 indicators to support island and municipal planning, facilitating territory management and decision‑making.
Intensely Populated Zones Study – pilot project in Fuerteventura to anticipate housing problems, gentrification, and resource pressure.
Technological Innovation in Primary Sector – solar‑powered autonomous robots for sowing, weeding, irrigation, and harvesting, aimed at attracting young people to agriculture, improving profitability, fostering generational renewal, and revitalizing municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.

Supporting Structures

Virtual Office for the Demographic Challenge (Gesplan) – offers planning, grant, and contracting support; has received nearly 300 requests in five months.
Regulatory changes such as the Land Law amendment – facilitate population growth in “challenge” municipalities and grant them positive discrimination in accessing aid.
Rural Dynamisation Programme (GMR Canarias) – €2.5 million for municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.
I Demographic Challenge Congress of the Canary Islands – a forum to share experiences and proposals on territorial and demographic balance.