A comprehensive study of perceptions of the Canaries as a tourism destination has revealed that the islands’ image has suffered due to a combination of negative factors in the second quarter of the year.
Consultancy firm LLYC regularly gauges domestic and external perceptions of Spain’s major tourism regions by monitoring messages posted about them on social media, chat forums and other digital platforms.
While the first months of the year saw largely positive postings about the Canaries, the period from March to June saw a noticeable decline coupled with an increase in more negative sentiments about tourism here.
The firm has identified a series of factors behind the increased negativity detected in its quarterly ‘temperature check’, including the ongoing anti-tourism protests in the Canaries, which saw a demonstration across the islands on 18 May receive extensive coverage both in Spain and the main countries of origin of tourists who holiday here.
Other factors detected in the more than 23,000 messages analysed (57 % of which were posted by people from outside the Canaries and 43 % by people living here) were the impact of the dispute over pay and working conditions in the hospitality sector – which saw strike action by hotel workers over Easter and the threat of further action this summer – and the extensive reporting of the housing shortage caused by the spiralling growth in short-term letting as tourist numbers continue to break records.
A further factor identified by the study was the uncertainty over of a tourism tax being introduced by several major resort areas in the Canaries.
These more negative factors were sufficient to offset the positive perceptions generated by issues such as efforts to achieve a more sustainable tourism model in the Canaries.
LLYC has been conducting its survey since early 2021, when the tourism sector here was rated at 7.1/10, with perceptions increasing gradually until 2023 (7.7/10).
The latest rating has fallen to 4.5/10, due largely to the increased focus of messaging on the above-mentioned factors. Almost 13 % of the message analysed made mention of industrial disputes, just over 12 % to anti-tourist sentiments, and 11% to over tourism, according to LLYC.
