President of the British favourite island says ‘we need not just any tourist’ after Jet2 boss complains some visitors get message ‘they’re not welcome’
Lanzarote has unveiled a new initiative aimed at urging UK visitors to respect and help preserve the island – and the president has said that they don’t ‘want any tourist’.
The President of the island, Oswaldo Betancort, said he wanted to “send the message that in Lanzarote we need not just any tourist, but a tourist who loves and enjoys the island”.
This campaign is a joint effort with the Lanzarote Foreign Promotion Society (SPEL-Turismo Lanzarote). The society’s CEO, Héctor Fernández, described the initiative as one of their most significant undertakings, dubbing it ‘an awareness campaign towards the search for ethical tourism’, according to La Voz de Lanzarote.
Fernández stated: “The objective is to promote a more conscious tourism model, respectful of the territory and committed to the common welfare.”
He further explained that the aim is to make ‘people understand that, from before landing, you enter a deeply fragile and beautiful territory that must be conserved and promoted’. The campaign will involve collaboration with airlines and tour operators ‘to reshape how tourism is viewed on the island’.
However, María Dolores Corujo, General Secretary of the opposition party and former President, argued that the government should focus on addressing issues such as overtourism and the lack of local housing.
“While residents do not have housing and hotel places skyrocket, the President responds with marketing campaigns asking tourists for affection instead of acting,” she said.
Ms Corujo expressed her vision, stating: “It is not about asking the tourist for affection, but about exercising government responsibly. And that means declaring stressed areas, limiting tourist beds, curbing speculation and betting on a model that puts people at the centre.”
She rose to prominence a couple of years ago when, as President, she advocated for Lanzarote to move beyond mass-market British bookings to prevent an over-reliance on ‘high volume tourism’. Although her comments drew criticism from Jet2 CEO Steve Heapy and local tourism officials, she later clarified that British visitors would always be welcome on the island.
Steve Heapy, chief executive of airline and tour operator Jet2, said there is a “perception” among some people that overseas visitors are not welcome in the country.
Spanish residents in popular destinations have organised a number of demonstrations against tourism in recent years, with banners featuring messages such as “tourists go home”.
The impact of tourism on rental rates is a common theme at the protests.
Speaking at an event at the Spanish embassy in London earlier this month Mr Heapy said: “We’ve had people ringing the call centre and going into travel agents, asking questions like ‘is Spain safe’, ‘are we still welcome in the resort’.”
He went on: “It is becoming a big issue unfortunately, and perception becomes truth.”
Mr Heapy said “unlicensed tourism” – such as people staying in private accommodation listed on Airbnb – is “causing a huge problem” and “needs to be controlled”.
Issues such as uncertainty over visitor numbers, unpaid tourist taxes and properties that “could be death traps” are among the issues, he said.
“Unfortunately there’s been a massive explosion in unlicensed tourism properties.” He went on: “Airbnb can be controlled. They don’t rule the world. They are an online platform that we can control and put legislation in place.”
Mr Heapy said if he was a politician he would introduce fines of “a quarter of a million euros” for Airbnb hosts found not to have the required licences or tax records.
Manuel Butler, director of the Spanish Tourist Office in London, insisted it is “important to distinguish between specific local tensions and the broader national picture”.
He went on: “The vast majority of Spain remains enthusiastic in welcoming tourists. Where protests have occurred – in cities such as Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Santa Cruz – concerns stem from broader societal issues: housing pressures, rising costs of living, and environmental strain in high-density areas.”
He added: “Spain is taking concrete steps to address these issues – through legislation on short-term rentals, tourism taxes in certain regions, and more comprehensive destination management.”
Spain is the most popular overseas destination for people in the UK, with more than 18 million visits last year.
Spain’s Secretary of State for Tourism Rosario Sanchez Grau said: “We are proud and grateful that Spain remains the number one holiday destination for UK visitors.
“It is our priority to protect and nurture this relationship for the future.”
