In the first half of 2025 alone, more than 7.8 million tourists visited the eight islands. 27 million air passengers were processed at Canarian airports, a 5% increase on 2024. Tourism accounts for 35% of GDP and 40% of the population depends on it economically.
The downsides are visible. In Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote, thousands have taken to the streets over the past two years under the banner 'Canarias tiene un limite' — the Canaries have a limit. Rising rents make it impossible for young locals to afford to live on their own island.
The Canary Islands are not alone: Antarctica, Glacier National Park (USA), Isola Sacra (Italy), the Jungfrau Region (Switzerland) and Montmartre in Paris also feature on Fodor's No List 2026. Overtourism is a global problem. The Canaries are a cautionary tale.
According to a France24 report, wastewater equivalent to 40 Olympic swimming pools is discharged daily into the seas around the Canary Islands. Environmental group ATAN says: they are losing their identity, culture, and their right to exist as a community.
Fodor's is clear: the No List is not a call for a boycott. It is an invitation to reflect — an appeal to travellers to make more conscious choices and temporarily avoid destinations under pressure.
For Gran Canaria, the situation is particularly contradictory. Tourism is booming and creating jobs. At the same time, it is crushing local quality of life. The question of who Gran Canaria really belongs to — its residents or its tourists — is growing sharper by the year.
Source: Fodor's Travel, Canarian Weekly, Travel and Tour World