Canary Islands beaches to avoid this summer according to The Sun

If you have been following British travel news lately, you might have seen a headline that made you pause mid-sip of your barraquito. The Sun, one of the UK's biggest tabloids, published a piece urging holidaymakers to steer clear of certain Spanish beaches this summer, and a handful of Canary Islands locations are on that list. The story quickly rippled through local media here, not because the environmental concerns are new, but because the framing felt a little dramatic to those of us who live here year-round.

The list is not a random selection. It draws directly from the annual "Banderas Negras" (Black Flags) report published by the Spanish environmental group Ecologistas en Acción. Every year, this respected organisation highlights the most serious cases of pollution, environmental degradation, and poor coastal management across Spain. For 2024, the Canary Islands received four of these symbolic black flags. The Sun took that data and turned it into a consumer travel warning with a very clear message: avoid these places. But which places are we actually talking about, and is the warning as alarming as it sounds? Let's take a calm, local look.

The four locations under the spotlight

The only classic tourist beach explicitly named in the coverage is Playa de Las Teresitas, the iconic golden-sand beach just north of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It is a beloved spot for locals and visitors alike, with its palm-lined promenade and calm waters imported from the Sahara. Ecologistas en Acción flagged it for ongoing pollution and management issues, which have been a topic of local debate for years, particularly concerning water quality after heavy rains.

The other three flagged areas are quite different. Cuna del Alma, located in the Adeje municipality of Tenerife, is not a bathing beach at all. It is a coastal stretch that has been at the centre of intense controversy over a large-scale tourist and residential development project. The Black Flag here is a protest against aggressive coastal urbanisation and the environmental damage it causes, rather than a warning about swimming conditions. Over on Gran Canaria, the flagged site is the marine fish-farm cages off the coast of Telde. Again, this is not a place where you would lay your towel. The concern is about the environmental impact of aquaculture on the surrounding marine ecosystem. Finally, in Lanzarote, the focus is on the cruise-ship zone in Arrecife, where port activity and cruise traffic contribute to pollution and coastal degradation.

Why the British press framed it this way

The Sun's approach is classic tabloid storytelling. The headline promises a clear, actionable list of places to avoid, tapping into a very British obsession with beach holidays and a genuine concern for health and safety. By focusing on well-known tourist names like Tenerife and connecting them to words like "sewage" and "chemical spills," the story creates a strong emotional hook. It is far more compelling to say "avoid these 14 beaches" than to explain the nuances of a Spanish environmental advocacy report.

This is not the first time international media has cast a critical eye on the islands. A year earlier, the prestigious Fodor's Travel guide placed the Canary Islands on its "No List," warning about the pressures of over-tourism and environmental strain. The Sun's article fits into this broader narrative, but it does so with a much louder, more sensational voice. For a British reader planning a summer holiday, seeing Las Teresitas on a list next to polluted spots on the mainland can easily create the impression that Canary beaches are broadly unsafe, which is simply not the case.

The local perspective: advocacy, not a ban

Here in the Canary Islands, the Ecologistas en Acción report is understood for what it is: a campaigning tool. The group deliberately awards two Black Flags per province or major city to draw attention to the worst examples of coastal mismanagement. It is a symbolic gesture designed to shame authorities into action, not a comprehensive water-quality ranking of every beach. The report itself covers everything from sewage discharges to light pollution and destructive construction projects.

Local media, such as eldiario.es / Canarias Ahora, reported on The Sun's article with a noticeably more measured tone. They pointed out that while the underlying environmental concerns are real and documented, the tabloid presentation blurs important distinctions. A cruise-ship port and a fish farm are not the same as a public bathing beach. The risk for the islands is that a sensational headline can unfairly damage the reputation of hundreds of pristine, Blue Flag beaches that are perfectly safe and beautifully maintained. The conversation here is less about avoiding the islands and more about demanding better policies to protect our unique coastline.

Is the warning fair or just sensationalist?

As with most things, the truth sits somewhere in the middle. On one hand, the warning is partly fair. Ecologistas en Acción is a credible organisation, and the problems they highlight at Las Teresitas, Cuna del Alma, the Telde fish farms, and the Arrecife port are genuine. Drawing a tourist's attention to areas with documented pollution or environmental degradation is not unreasonable. If you were planning a day trip specifically to swim at a beach with known, recurring sewage issues after rain, a heads-up is useful.

On the other hand, the presentation is undeniably sensational. The Sun converts a nuanced environmental report into a simplistic "worst beaches" scare story. By lumping a popular urban beach together with an offshore fish farm and a cruise terminal, the list can easily mislead readers into thinking the Canary Islands are dotted with toxic wastelands. The vast majority of our coastline, from the wild shores of Fuerteventura to the volcanic coves of Lanzarote, remains spectacular and welcoming. The real takeaway is not to cancel your holiday, but to be an informed visitor who understands the local environmental challenges.