Tourists have been advised to reconsider their 2026 plans to travel to the Canary Islands. This Spanish archipelago, located off the coast of north-western Africa, has several popular tourist hotspots, including Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote. However, experts have advised tourists to consider going elsewhere in 2026 as locals on the islands say they are feeling the pressure caused by huge visitor numbers.
The Canary Islands are one of the most popular sun holiday destinations for Brits every summer. In 2025, the Canary Islands welcomed around 7.8 million visitors, which is a staggering number when compared to their approximately 2.2 million residents. Meanwhile, the islands processed more than 27 million airport passengers throughout the year so far, a 5% increase on last year's number. This growing popularity has caused tension for locals, who have complained about the negative effects tourism has on life on the islands.
Protests have taken place in places like Tenerife as locals vent their frustrations and call on authorities to introduce measures to control tourism levels, and to plead with tourists to consider what their holiday plans mean for locals.
Environmental strain and housing costs are among the issues that some locals have highlighted in relation to overtourism. John Dale Beckley, founder of the sustainability platform CanaryGreen.org, said: “Residents have started protesting because they're genuinely fed up.
“Traffic is one of the biggest issues. What used to be a 40-minute drive from the north can now take well over an hour each way.”
Travel publication Fodor's Travel has released its 2026 'No List', which highlights destinations that are experiencing a swell of tourism that people should consider not visiting next year.
The Canary Islands feature in the list, with local campaigners telling the publication that housing has become near “impossible” for locals with the amount of holiday rentals on the islands. “Natural spaces are constantly degraded, with alarming losses in biodiversity,” ATAN (Asociación Tinerfeña de Amigos de la Naturaleza), an environmental group in Tenerife, said.
“Overcrowding has erased peaceful places where we could once enjoy life there are no truly local spaces left.”
Beckley said that tourism has brought money and opportunity for the Canary Islands, but now, most hotels are owned by large investment groups. This means that the benefits aren't being felt by locals.
ATAN added: “We are losing our identity, culture, and, ultimately, our right to exist as a community. Tourism has become unlimited, mass-oriented, and largely low-cost party tourism that does not come to truly discover the islands, but to consume a fake backdrop.”
The Canary Islands weren't the only destination to make it onto the 2026 'No List'. The full list of destinations that Fodor advises tourists to avoid in 2026 is:
- Antarctica
- Canary Islands
- Glacier National Park (Montana, US)
- Isola Sacra (Rome, Italy)
- The Jungfrau region, Switzerland
- Mexico City
- Mombasa, Kenya
- Montmartre (Paris, France)