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The Canary Islands could succumb to the “Magaluf effect” unless they move away from mass tourism, according to the islands’ new president Fernando Clavijo.
He suggested limiting the number of tourists to Tenerife and Lanzarote to preserve its environment and halt the rising number of all-inclusive holidays.
Clavijo told the Times: “The pursuit of the largest number of tourists is killing quality in Spain. It is the Magaluf effect.
“Lots of people come from Britain and what they need is a quality resort. We don’t want to attract 20 million tourists each year and then they do not have a good time. We may need to put limits.”
Almost four million of the 11 million tourists who visited the Canary Islands last year were from the UK. The total number of visitors was up by 8% on 2013.
Pedro Quevedo, head of tourism in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, told the Times: “We should limit the growth of the industry, ban building on some areas and protect the environment.”
The newspaper reported the islands’ authorities recently banned the rental to holidaymakers of 50,000 private flats in a bid to control the sector.
The Canary Islands have a population of 2.1 million. Tourism makes up about 30% of the islands’ gross domestic product.