Canary Islands end tourism moratorium fight, trading building rights for €500 million
The Canary Islands government led by Fernando Clavijo (a CC–PP coalition) has closed a long-running legal battle over the so-called moratoria turística, the cap on hotel building. According to the newspaper Canarias7 and the trade portal preferente on 19 August 2026, the government reached a settlement with hotel developers, clearing the way to build on 36 disputed plots in tourist zones of the province of Las Palmas.
Photo: Pjotr Mahhonin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Symbolbild).
The settlement concerns a compensation matter of around €500 million. The exact legal mechanism was not spelled out. The opposition sharply disputes the government's account — a row that turns on which of the two Canarian moratoriums actually generated any liability.
What the settlement does
According to Canarias7 and preferente, the Clavijo government's deal ends the long dispute over the plots affected by the moratorium. At its core, the agreement opens the door to building hotels or tourist developments on 36 parcels in tourist areas of the province of Las Palmas.
The trade portal preferente summed it up by saying that the Canary Islands "save" €500 million by ending the fight. That figure is the compensation at stake; exactly how it would arise in law was not set out in the reports.
The government's reading
From the government's point of view, the settlement removes a financial risk: rather than face possible payments to developers, the conflict is resolved by recognising building rights on the contested land, as the cited reports of 19 August present it.
The €500 million is described as what could have fallen due in compensation had the region lost in court. On the available reporting, the government did not detail the specific legal route.
Román Rodríguez's rebuttal
Román Rodríguez, leader of the opposition party Nueva Canarias (NC), pushes back firmly. He says his 2001 moratorium produced no compensation at all: "no hay una sola sentencia indemnizatoria con relación a la moratoria turística de 2001" — there is not a single compensation ruling relating to the 2001 tourism moratorium, in his words.
Rodríguez points to an official report by the Consejería de Política Territorial from April 2025, answering a question from deputy Esther González. According to it, all rulings on Laws 6/2001 and 19/2003 were dismissed — "todas las sentencias fueron desestimatorias por lo que no hubo indemnizaciones", meaning there were no compensation payments.
Two moratoriums, two authors
The heart of the dispute is which moratorium is meant. The first dates from 2001 and is associated with Rodríguez (now NC); it comprises Laws 6/2001 and 19/2003. The second is Law 6/2009, the moratorium of then premier Paulino Rivero, passed under a Coalición Canaria (CC) mandate.
Rodríguez therefore traces the roughly €500 million in potential liability not to his 2001 moratorium but to Rivero's Law 6/2009. In his view, the government is conflating two different measures.
The political backdrop
Rodríguez accuses the Clavijo government of spreading a "falsedad" — the claim that nothing can be done to curb further tourism growth. He argues this is meant to avoid a debate on new limits, a demand of the mass protests of 2024 and 2025. This interpretation is Rodríguez's; the government does not share it.
As proof that limits are possible, he cites the protection of the Veneguera ravine, which he says prevented some 20,000 tourist beds. The clash thus ties a legal question to the heated debate over the limits of tourism on the islands.
Sources: Canarias7, preferente and Diario de Avisos (19–20 August 2026).
Government and opposition read the case differently — this article reports both sides and takes neither.
Key facts
- The Clavijo government (CC–PP) ends the moratoria turística litigation through a settlement with hotel developers (Canarias7, preferente, 19 August 2026).
- The deal opens the way to build on 36 disputed plots in tourist zones of the province of Las Palmas.
- A compensation matter of around €500 million is at stake; the exact legal route was not detailed.
- Román Rodríguez (NC): his 2001 moratorium (Laws 6/2001, 19/2003) caused no compensation — all rulings were dismissed (Consejería de Política Territorial report, April 2025).
- Rodríguez traces the liability to Paulino Rivero's Law 6/2009 (CC), not to his 2001 moratorium.
- He cites the protection of the Veneguera ravine, which he says blocked around 20,000 tourist beds.
FAQ
- What has the Clavijo government decided?
- It has ended the long-running moratoria turística litigation through a settlement with hotel developers, allowing building on 36 plots in the province of Las Palmas, according to Canarias7 and preferente.
- What are the €500 million about?
- A compensation matter that the settlement is meant to resolve. The exact legal mechanism was not detailed in the reports.
- What does Román Rodríguez say?
- The NC leader says his 2001 moratorium caused no compensation, citing an official report by the Consejería de Política Territorial from April 2025.
- Which moratorium does Rodríguez blame for the liability?
- He traces the €500 million to Paulino Rivero's Law 6/2009 (CC), not to his own 2001 moratorium (Laws 6/2001 and 19/2003).
- What is the political dimension?
- Rodríguez accuses the government of avoiding a debate on growth limits demanded by the 2024–2025 protests, and cites Veneguera as an example. The government does not share this reading.
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