PARADISE OR PARASITE
2 million locals, 18 million guests: “People are being forced out of their own homes“
By: Ingvild Marie Svardal & Tuva Marie Sørum
Photo: Ingvild Marie Svardal
Chapter One: The Norwegians
On an island down south outside of Africa, you can find what can seem like a Norwegian city. Full of Norwegian people. In the winter, 7,3% of Norwegians flees to the Canary Islands to find comfort in the warmth.
The travel guide “Canary Islands” says that most Norwegians go to the city Arguineguín, which it describes as “a paradise for Norwegians in the south of Gran Canaria”. As Norwegians ourselves, we decide to visit this supposed paradise. What’s it like, and how does it affect the island and the locals?
The Norwegian city down south
Taking the bus to Arguineguín, the first thing that meets us is Norwegian real estate agents.
Walking around, the signs to shops and restaurants have their info both in Spanish and Norwegian.
According to the travel guide “Canary Islands”, of the 500 000 Norwegian tourists that visit the Canary Islands each year, over half choose to spend their vacation on Gran Canaria.
And this year is no different.
“TUI”, a Norwegian travel agency, writes that this year there has been a 36 percent increase in Norwegians wanting to exchange snow and cold with sand and sun.
Especially the fishing town Arguineguín in Gran Canaria with Norwegian food, stores and language, experience the need for sun by the people in the north.
So many Norwegians has fled to the island that Leo Lunde, a Norwegian who lives on the island, decided that the Canary Island needed its own paper, for Norwegians.
The Canary Paper
Sitting down in a beautiful hotel in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria’s capitol, Leo tells us about why he felt like the Canary Islands needed its own Norwegian paper.
“I did it in defiance to the other Norwegian Canary-paper, who at that time mostly translated one Spanish article a day. I thought to myself; I can translate at least three”.
Now the paper has turned into much more, and has over 60 000 weekly readers, with most articles behind a paywall.
“I just threw myself into it. It’s kind of absurd that we can have this many readers”.
Leo says that being a journalist in a Spanish society is different from what it’s like in Norway.
“We trust the press in Norway. The people I talk to are more skeptical. It’s hard being a journalist here”.
As the Canary Paper kept growing, it turned into more than just the Canary Islands.
“We now cover a lot on traveling as well, which Norwegians really love”.
According to “Statistisk Sentralbyrå (SSB)”, Norwegians went on 6.5 million vacations abroad in 2023. With a population of 5.5 million, it means that Norwegians on average went on more than one vacation outside of their own countries borders.
Help the locals
Aiden Killith and his wife Bente Neraas had been to the Canary Islands a few times on vacation, and after turning sick and being unable to work, they figured out that moving to a warmer country would help. Gran Canaria was the answer.
“We came because of the warmth. It helps us”.
Aiden says that they didn’t want to move to the city Arguineguín, because that’s where all the Norwegians are.
“It felt too cliché. Walking around, and everything being Norwegian. You feel stupid”.
SEE ALL THE NORWEGIAN STUFF WE FOUND IN ARGUINEGUÍN:
Therefore, the couple moved to a city beside Arguineguín, Playa del Ingles. A city also filled with Scandinavians, but a different kind.
“We almost only have Swedish friends now”; they say with a laugh.
With Christmas coming up, they have filled up their calendar. On their second Christmas celebration, Aiden and Bente will have a Scandi-party.
“Sweden, Denmark and Norway will unite, and we will make our traditional Christmas dinners for each other”.
Aiden tells us that he feels the tourism on the island is a big problem.
“Our previous neighbor, a local guy working at a bar, was kicked out of his home because they were making an Airbnb, and our neighbor right beside us is also an Airbnb-apartment. It makes the prices go up so the locals can’t live here anymore. It’s horrible”.
Aiden Killith
To help the locals, they both try to blend in with the Spanish society.
“It’s better to shop local and live locally. We’re both trying to learn Spanish, but it’s hard. We have Duolingo”.
Chapter Two: The Protesters
Formed by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago, the Canary Islands are characterized by dunes, caves, and forests.
Many local activists are working to maintain the nature and environment they grew up in.
“Imagine the impact the tourism has on culture and coexistence. People’s identity elements are practically distorted, says Eugenio Reyes”.
He is a spokesperson for Ben Magec – ecologistas en acción, an environmental group working to defend the natural and sociocultural values of the Canary Islands. With campaigns and demonstrations, they try to save the islands from what they think is one of the biggest threats, the tourists.
Under the slogan “Canarias tiene un límite” (“the Canary Islands have a limit”) the group is organizing protests all over the Canary Islands. Tens of thousands of people are calling for an urgent rethink of the Spanish tourism strategy.
Reyes believes that the islands are overloaded. Too many tourists coming all year long makes it difficult for the locals to live and exist in their communities.
According to “Canariajournalen” and “Turismo de Islas Canarias”, about 16 million tourists visited the Canary Islands in 2023. Last year’s record is expected to be knocked out of the park when the year is over.
“This year we will beat the record with 18 million tourists. That is nine times the local population”.
Eugenio Reyes
Not enough room for the locals
People are being forced out of their own homes Reyes explains, in favour of high-paying tourists.
With the raise in tourists, there is also a raise in rent prices. However, with the minimum wage pay, people are not able to pay the monthly rent.
“It is impossible for people to live in their own neighborhoods with their own people”.
This exact situation happened to Aiden and Bente’s neighbor, Samuel. He was suddenly kicked out of his home because it was turned into an apartment for the rental service, Airbnb.
That way, the owners could make more money on the tourists who were willing to pay more, while Samuel were forced to move out on one day’s notice and in with his girlfriend’s family.
It is not only the rent prices that are increasing, but also the prices in general are being pushed up by tourists that are willing to pay more.
“The prices in the supermarkets serving the tourists are not reasonable for the locals. 36 percent of the population are at risk of poverty, Reyes explains“.
Lack of resources
Not only does the number of tourists lead to a housing crisis, but it also affects the local environment.
Reyes says that there has been lack of water on the islands for two years leading to multiple water emergencies.
“By law, each tourist can use up to 500 litres of water per day, while the locals are limited to only 450 litres. This unfair reality has resulted in temporarily blackouts and water restrictions up to multiple times a week“.
Photo: Private
The nature is also being strongly affected by the tourism, according to Reyes. According to the “Canary Islands“, as much as 40 percent of the islands area are categorized as protected natural space.
What concerns Reyes is the building of ports and highways in maritime zones, destroying the nature that once was there.
“It’s totally brutal the impact it has right now. How oversized the tourist activity is in relation to the population, the economy, and the environment”, Reyes says.
But could there be solutions?
He says that a solution to the problem could be to increase the number of overnight stays. Instead of having 18 million tourists staying for ten days, one could have nine million staying for 20 days.
“When there were less tourists, there were also more employment, better economy, more natural recourses, and everything was much more harmonized”, he elaborates.
Chapter Three: The Locals
Our journey takes us to another city filled with tourists, Puerto Rico, a city down south in Gran Canaria.
Here, we look to find the locals that work with the tourists, to hear what they think.
The more the merrier
As Leo told us, the locals don’t really like talking to the press, and a lot of people doesn’t speak English. After hours of looking for locals to speak to, we had almost given up on finding someone.
We walk into a restaurant and talk to the owner. He calls someone over, and we’re met by a younger worker, Jesus Antonio Minguez Medina.
He tells us that he meets a lot of tourists in the winter, which he believes is prime time for tourism in the Canary Islands.
“It’s a lot of them that comes here during this time of year, almost everyone that comes to the restaurant are tourists”, Jesus tells us.
We look at the menu and see that it’s written out in four languages: Spanish, English, German and Norwegian.
All the tourist that comes is what keeps the business going, Medina tells us.
“The more that comes here, the better for the restaurant“.
He says that even though the tourists are what keeps the business going, it’s sometimes too many.
“It’s a bit much, at least during the season. It’s hard to keep away from them”, he tells us.
In another shop we meet a woman, Maria, who did not want to be photographed. She would, however, like to speak with us.
“We locals have to move out from the city. All the apartments you see around here are being sold to people who rent them out for too much. I can’t afford to live in my own city anymore”.
“Toalettet er der”
In another restaurant we’re discussing in Norwegian where the toilet might be.
“Toalettet er der” a guy tells us, which means “the bathroom is over there” in Norwegian. Benaisa, the owner, has learned to speak some Norwegian, and has learned the answers to the questions he gets every day.
“I love the Norwegian tourists. They are nice and never too much trouble”.
When we ask if he thinks there sometimes is too many tourists around, he disagrees.
“It’s how I get my livelihood. Without the tourists, the business wouldn’t go around anymore”.
After a question on what it does to the locals and the island, he repeats himself.
“The tourism is the machine“.
Chapter Four: What now?
Sitting down with Leo Lunde at the restaurant, he orders coffee for us.
“I knew some Spanish before moving here, but it definitely became better. I moved to the island in 2011. I didn’t really fit in in Norway”.
After moving up from the south of the island to Las Palmas, Leo and his wife decided to send their son to a local kindergarden. The local way of living has also affected their son.
“Suddenly he was speaking Spanish better than us!”
After moving from Arguineguín to a place in Las Palmas with mostly locals, his life changed.
“Sometimes our neighbor comes to us in the morning with fruit she plucked herself from her own tree, it’s a totally different culture”, he tells us, and adds;
“I like it better here. Much better, here in Las Palmas”.
Leo wishes more Norwegians would discover what he calls a great city. It has so much to offer, he tells us, much more than the tourism cities like Arguineguín.
Down south, he tells us, you wouldn’t need to learn Spanish at all.
“As long as you know the basic phrases like “hola”, “gracias” and “una cerveza por favor”, you’ll probably be fine”, he says and laughs.
HEAR LEO SPEAK NORWEGIAN AND SPANISH:
He believes that it was in the 60s that Gran Canaria became a thing for Norwegians.
“People wanted warmer climate, they wanted to lay on the beach and get drunk. That’s what it was about”.
But isn’t it weird that everyone gathers in the same place, we wonder, why here?
“I think it’s a trend thing. Some people do it, and then more people follow. Not long ago, we wrote an article about the Norwegian city down south, Arguineguín, and all the Norwegian stuff you can do”.
“You can eat Norwegian food, go to a Norwegian doctor and only talk to Norwegian people. It’s just like Norway, but warmer”.
It’s a record year for tourism in the Canary Island this year, and Leo thinks there’s more to come.
“There is a lot of all-inclusive, where you can live and stay at the restaurant and not touch food outside in the local society. That’s where the problem is”.
ALL-INCLUSIVE HOTELS IN PUERTO RICO, GRAN CANARIA:
He says that most of the hotels as well are owned by international companies.
“Then, the locals don’t get anything. Money is the problem for everyone. And the all-inclusive hotels are taking over the scene”.
“It’s becoming more and more, but it’s important to give back to the local society. We need to remember that”.
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