The Canary Islands have chosen not to follow the Balearic Islands in issuing a fresh four-year tourist moratorium. Other archipelagos in Spain recently enacted measures to cap new tourist developments for the next several years, aiming to curb hotel growth. The Canaries, led by Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Yaiza Castilla, say that beyond freezing bed capacity, a deeper assessment is essential to boost the sector’s sustainability, which remains crucial to the local economy.
Tourist moratoriums are designed to slow the expansion of tourist activity in a given area. This tool is not new in the Canary Islands, where several moratoriums have been approved over the past two decades. The most recent major shift occurred in 2013 with a package of reforms that, among other points, restricted construction of non-five-star hotels. Drawing from the Balearic model introduced a year earlier, the current framework allowed only new construction for four- or five-star hotels and sought to prevent the creation of additional lodging stock unless a project met strict criteria. Now, after more than two decades, the Balearic Parliament has approved another four-year pause that also emphasizes bed reductions.
This time, however, the Canary Islands appear unlikely to imitate the Balearic approach. Castilla underscored that the two regions face different realities. The archipelago attracts millions of visitors mainly during a four-month peak, yet tourism activity is spread across the year, with roughly 300,000 visitors living among the local population daily.
Still, these 300,000 daily visitors are unevenly distributed across Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura, which means the impact varies by island. In some areas the ratio of residents to visitors reaches about one to one on certain islands, while others experience higher visitor concentrations. Castilla noted before radio interviews that a tourist footprint can be larger in places with limited capacity or where settlements are already dense, making a simple number inadequate to describe impact.
Earlier, the regional Parliament heard from a consultant who reviewed the archipelago’s tourist load, at the request of the Canarian Nationalist Group. The analysis showed that tourism land accounts for roughly 4% of the total area, with about 46% rural and non-urbanized land and 40% under some form of protection. Those figures are treated as indicators of the phenomenon’s reach, not as fixed limits.
Castilla clarified that tourist load should not be confused with destination capacity. He explained that load depends on how visits occur, not simply how many tourists fit into a place. It should be evaluated using cultural, urban, and infrastructure benchmarks, not a single magic number. Given the island-specific characteristics, a broad, one-size-fits-all policy would be inappropriate.
He reminded the audience that tourism management in the Canary Islands is guided by island-level plans, with councils responsible for shaping development according to evolving load patterns.
Yet, he stressed that ongoing efforts to improve sustainability are not stalled. Cross-cutting initiatives tied to new-generation funds are moving forward, and the Canary Islands are aligned with international commitments such as the Glasgow Declaration. The aim is to cut carbon emissions by 50% by 2030, a target that mirrors global trends toward climate-smart travel and responsible stewardship of natural assets.
Castilla argued that sustainable practices are essential not only to protect the environment but also to sustain the islands’ economic model. The natural landscapes and climate features that attract visitors are increasingly valued by travelers who seek responsible destinations, and the region wants to be seen as a leader in sustainable tourism.
A nationalist lawmaker, David de la Hoz, questioned whether the Canary Islands could become a pioneer without a formal set of sustainability indicators for tourism carrying capacity. The response was that discussions already taking place in other regions, such as the Balearic Islands or Hawaii, should be faced openly, including potential freezes on new lodging in the coming years. Such debates would be part of a broader strategy to balance growth with long-term preservation.