Canary Islanders call for hunger strike to protest against overtourism they say is pricing them out

Locals in the Canary Islands are mobilizing to protest against excessive tourism, blaming visitors for pricing them out of their homes and causing environmental damage.

The Spanish archipelago, which sits in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa, has long been a popular holiday destination for its temperate year-round climate.

However tourist numbers have exploded from 11.5 million per year to around 16 million per year in the last decade, according to local environmental organization Fundación Canarina, and many locals are now ready to take action to protest what they say is the overexploitation of the islands.

One group named Canarias Se Agota urged support for a hunger strike starting Thursday and called on people to form a human chain to show their support.

“Every person who joins the human chain sends a strong message to the government: The Canary Islands are not willing to continue sacrificing their future,” it said in a post on Facebook published Wednesday.