According to Fodor, the No List is not a boycott but a gentle nudge to ease tourism pressure on destinations. During the first six months of 2025, the Canary Islands received more than 7.8 million tourists and over 27 million airport passengers, according to multiple reports. Anti-tourism protests have occurred in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote over the past two years, multiple reports said.
A report published earlier this year found that wastewater equivalent to 40 Olympic-sized swimming pools is discharged into the sea around the Canary Islands daily. Silent disco walking tours in Tenerife have become popular but are criticized by locals as a 'tourist circus', according to major media. Some social media users compare parts of Tenerife to a 'theme park' created for tourists, major media reported.
Their message was clear: booming tourism, soaring housing costs, and mounting environmental strain are threatening the foundations of island life.
In Majorca, Caló des Moro beach is losing up to 70 kilograms of sand daily due to tourists, according to the Foundation of Friends of Caló des Moro-s'Almonia. Up to 4,000 beachgoers visit per day during the main summer season, but the beach can only accommodate about 100 people at a time, multiple reports said. In 2024, Majorcan tourism entities encouraged influencers to visit lesser-known spots, which increased crowds at Caló des Moro, according to multiple reports. As of June 2025, 1,300 videos of Caló des Moro had been uploaded to TikTok with about 10 million views globally, multiple reports said. A protest by Mallorca Platja Tour against over-tourism at Caló des Moro was attended by more than 300 people, according to multiple reports.
Spring and summer flight bookings to Spanish holiday destinations increased by 32% in early April compared to the same period last year, major media reported. The Canary Islands did not implement a tourist tax in 2024, which is criticized by activists, according to major media. According to Expressen, Pere Joan described Mallorca as becoming a 'nightmare' for residents due to mass tourism. According to Expressen, Iván Cerdeña told tourists to 'stay away' due to over-tourism.
Imagine wading into what should be crystalline hotel-resort waters, only to realise that 100 million liters of untreated or barely treated sewage gush into the sea every day, swamping beaches with fecal contamination.
Local attitudes towards tourism in the Canary Islands are divided. According to Ilta-Sanomat, a local environmental organization worker described residents as already suffering from over-tourism and criticized politicians for allowing illegal hotels. However, according to Ilta-Sanomat, a Norwegian journalist covering Canary Islands tourism said activist claims are often exaggerated for visibility. The journalist acknowledged that tourism has led to housing problems, such as increased rents, and said most locals do not oppose tourism but criticize politicians for focusing on growth over quality and ignoring housing issues.
The No List serves a gentle but pointed nudge to ease up on a spot for now–not forever–and give a rest to any location that clearly needs a breather.
We are already suffering from over-tourism. I can't even imagine what the situation will be like when there are even more tourists.
The Canary Islands no longer respect themselves. Politicians don't, and the system allows illegal hotels to spring up everywhere. Then there is no room for respectful tourism.
Almost everyone (locals) we have spoken to have made it clear that they are not opposed to tourism, but to the fact that politicians emphasize continuous growth and quantity over quality, and what many describe as a complete unwillingness to address the housing situation of the majority of the population.
We have crossed the limits.
Stay away.