Tourism Industry’s Reputation Falters in the Canary Islands

Discontent Over Mass Tourism and Housing Booms, According to LLYC’s Tourism Perception Barometer

The public’s perception of tourism in Spain continues to decline, dropping another 0.4 points in the third quarter of 2025 (July‑September) to 4.3 out of 10, according to the second edition of LLYC’s Tourism Perception Barometer.

The quarterly report shows a 16% increase in the volume of online conversations, with a tone that is increasingly critical. Overall discontent has sharpened by 40% since the series began (a loss of 2.9 points).

Mass tourism and its impact on housing prices remain the main sources of social irritation, forming the core of the digital debate. Although this issue fell slightly compared with the previous quarter, it is still the most mentioned topic, followed by security concerns (accounting for 15% of mentions).

“The impact of tourism is especially visible in urbanised regions with a high flow of visitors,” the LLYC report explains, highlighting how gentrification and over‑tourism are eclipsing traditional attractions.

Key regional findings:

• Madrid, Catalonia and Andalusia generate 70% of the messages analyzed during the summer, with the debate being highly polarised.
• Catalonia, the lowest‑rated region in the country (2.8 points), saw a 42% surge in security‑related complaints, making safety the top issue for its residents.
• On the opposite end, Extremadura leads with a notable 7 points, followed by Aragón and Castilla y León (both 6.7 points), where culture is the main draw, highlighted by messages praising “unique” and less‑massified experiences.

All autonomous communities recorded declines in tourism perception except the Canary Islands, which remained stable at 4.5 points. In the islands, the volume of messages fell 30% in the second quarter, but the tone turned more positive and less critical—still insufficient to reach an approved rating.

The steepest summer declines—over one point in some cases—occurred in Galicia, Cantabria, Asturias and La Rioja, where rising conversations about gentrification, deteriorating local well‑being and over‑tourism dragged down the overall perception temperature.