Irene Montero calls for ban on holiday lets across the Canary Islands
At a campaign event in Gran Canaria, the Podemos candidate called for a ban on holiday lets and argued that tourism was putting pressure on life in the islands.
Podemos candidate Irene Montero has called for holiday lets to be banned across the Canary Islands, a proposal that would include Fuerteventura. She argued at a campaign event in Gran Canaria that disproportionate tourism was damaging life for island residents.
Montero, an MEP and Podemos candidate for the presidency of the Spanish Government in the 29 November elections, spoke to around 400 people in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Representatives of Nueva Canarias, Izquierda Unida and Sumar, which are joining Podemos in the islands, were also present.
She pointed to Adeje, where she said 30% of homes were tourist accommodation, as she questioned whether the pressure came from people needing help or from disproportionate tourism. That percentage was her claim, not a figure independently established in the report.
Montero also accused the tourism sector of paying very low wages and businesses of polluting and using excessive amounts of water. She argued that the Canary Islands had limits and that their economy and residents’ lives could not be organised around tourists.
Immigration and other proposals
On immigration, Montero said no migrant was surplus to requirements and called for solidarity between territories. She argued that the claim there was not enough room for everyone was false, adding that the Canary Islands were a place of transit for many migrants.
She also called for an end to further arms purchases, higher taxes on banks, businesses and wealthy people, and a minimum wage of €1,800 for a 30-hour working week.