Residents from across the Canary Islands are organising a large-scale protest to oppose a tourism model they claim has damaged the environment, driven up housing costs, and pushed locals into unstable employment.

The protest group has delivered a succinct four-word message in their ongoing fight against overtourism. The activists behind 'Canarias Tiene un Límite' (Canaries have a limit) declared, “we will not stop,” while announcing 13 additional protests scheduled across Spain, the Canary Islands, and Europe.

The demonstrations are due to be held on Sunday in multiple locations across the seven main islands, home to 2.2 million people, as well as in several cities on mainland Spain and in Berlin, Germany.

A similar protest was held in April of last year, when thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Tenerife, urging the government to temporarily curb tourist arrivals. Their goal was to slow the surge in short-term holiday rentals and hotel developments, which they argue are significantly inflating housing prices for local residents.

Protesters escalated their actions last year, with one group launching an “indefinite” hunger strike, underscoring that their grievances were directed at government authorities rather than individual tourists, Sky News reports.

This year, the demonstrators are renewing their demands for a tourism model that prioritises people and ecological sustainability, rather than one that benefits investors at the cost of local communities.

According to local newspaper Canarian Weekly, the protesters are calling for several key measures, including the suspension and demolition of prominent development projects and hotel constructions, the introduction of a tourist tax, and stronger efforts to preserve Canarian identity and culture.

Indeed, protesters expressed strong support for green energy but opposed large-scale projects they believe could harm local ecosystems. Instead, they advocated for community-driven renewable energy initiatives that utilise rooftops, parking lots, and previously degraded land, Daily Express reports.

The campaign primarily emphasised environmental issues, urging the elimination of marine pollution and the restoration of neglected buildings, old quarries, and damaged areas to support conservation efforts.

In addition, revenue from the proposed tourist tax would be dedicated to conservation projects and generating employment to boost the islands' food self-sufficiency.

Tourism makes up approximately 35% of the Canary Islands’ GDP. In March of this year, the islands welcomed 1.7 million tourists, with visitors from the British Isles accounting for 32% of that total.