In recent years there has been growing discontent in the Canary Islands as residents push back against the high number of tourists coming to the region.

       The tension has arisen because of the impact large numbers of tourists have on places such as Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma and co.

       These can include price rises for locals who find themselves being forced to move further away from population centres because of property developments aimed at accommodating tourists.

       But not all of the Canary Islands are seeing rebellions against tourists. Some, such as Lanzarote, are openly encouraging tourists to come to their islands through a combination of tailored advertising and alternative visitor programmes.

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       The island, which enjoys minimum temperatures of 20C year-round, actively promotes its 'Lanzarote Loves Tourism' campaign.

       Restaurateur Augusto Ferreira is one of the driving forces behind it, and told the Telegraph: “Tourism has been and will be our main sector, the one that has helped us grow and enjoy a better life and that, just like our island, we must protect."

       Locals say Lanzarote "does things differently" to its more populated Canary Island neighbours and that is, in large part, down to one Cesar Manrique.

       The artist, who died in 1992, persuaded politicians to keep development low rise and disperse tourism across the whole island instead of centred in certain spots.

       He also helped prevent overdevelopment of the coast. Explaining the impact of Cesar, local Joshua Braddock said: “Manrique was not just a celebrated artist…but a visionary who acutely felt the threat of unbridled mass tourism development as early as the late 1960s when the island's first hotel opened.”

       Although Cesar died in 1992, his legacy has lived on in organisations such as Lanzarote Loves Tourism and other programmes that recognise the benefits of tourism, without letting its side effects consuming the island.

       One example of this is an organisation such as WeWhale which takes a holistic approach to tourism on the water and, like other vendors, specialises in taking small groups of people.

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       Skipper Gonzalo Apesteguia said: “Lanzarote is a perfect fit for us as the type of tourist it tries to attract is open to a more educational experience on a small boat. We are glad to be part of that positive tourism, where both man and our mammal friends are protected.”

       Whilst Lanzarote may be in the fortunate position of enjoying a decades long honeymoon with tourists, other parts of the Canary Islands have not with protest tourists blighting the region in recent years as people began to return to the island after the end of the Covid-era lockdowns.

       Earlier this year, 50,000 people signed a petition to prevent the development of a luxury tourism project in Puertito de Adeje in southern Tenerife. The petition urges the local authorities to deny construction permits, reports Canarian Weekly.

       The petition argues that Tenerife has enough tourism developments and warns there could be significant ecological consequences for local wildlife if the project is completed.