Political and Industry Leaders Unite in Condemnation
The President of the Canary Islands Government, Fernando Clavijo, and the Canarian Holiday Rental Association (Ascav) have expressed their rejection of the attacks suffered by the Minister for Tourism and Employment, Jessica de León, during the processing of the Sustainable Tourism Housing Use Law—also known as the Holiday Rental Law—which was approved by the regional Parliament on 12 November. Until now, the attacks and threats, which reportedly began in the summer, had not been made public. The industry body stated in a communiqué its “absolute repudiation” of “all types of violence”. Although the association says it “can understand and even shares the unease, desperation, fear, and indignation suffered by tens of thousands of Canarian families and residents” because of the law, it stresses that “under no circumstances does this justify violence”.
Details of the Attacks and Political Reactions
The reactions follow the Vice-President of the Government, Manuel Domínguez, denouncing in an interview with Radio Sintonía that Jessica de León had several stones thrown at her house and car, and suffered threats and insults on social media during the approval of the Holiday Rental Law. The situation was criticised by the former President of the Canaries and Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, who posted on his Twitter (now X) account: “Disagreements in politics are legitimate, violence never is. We condemn these events, outright; it is unacceptable.”
For her part, the minister explained yesterday that she had filed “two complaints for veiled threats” and acknowledged that “they do not represent the citizenry as a whole,” while expressing confidence in being able to maintain a serene debate despite disagreements over the approval of this law. Fernando Clavijo, who also showed his support for the minister, clarified that “this is not a law by Jessica, the Tourism Minister; this is a bill from the Government of the Canary Islands and the Parliament of the Canary Islands, which approved it.” He added that while one may “agree with it more or less,” he specified that “intimidation and violence is never justifiable under any concept, in any sphere.” He therefore stated that the Government of the Canary Islands has condemned the situation the minister is experiencing, to whom he showed his “full” support both personally and as president of the regional executive.
Industry Calls for Dialogue Amid Deep Social Divide
Ascav has asked Clavijo to open a path of “understanding, mediation, negotiation, and consensus to consolidate the holiday homes” of tens of thousands of Canarian families and resident homeowners. They further specified that the association’s intention “has always been to defend that tourism in the Canaries belongs to everyone and that Canarian families and residents also have the right to participate in the tourism business.” They also indicated that they “protect and safeguard” the investment of many intermediary businesses and managers of these holiday lets and the direct and indirect jobs they generate.
The Canarian population has reacted with notable polarisation to the law, which promises to transform the housing landscape in the Islands. From its approval until 2030, the use of holiday homes will be strictly limited in proportion to residential use. In line with this, no new holiday lets may be opened, and over the next five years town councils must draw up their own planning to decide how many, where, and under what conditions these properties may operate. Furthermore, the opening of new tourist accommodation is prohibited.
On one side are residents who have witnessed the gentrification of their neighbourhoods, the consequent rise in housing prices and local services, and the added difficulties in finding a home—already exacerbated by the housing crisis. Meanwhile, small owners of one or two tourist properties see a business that was key to their household economies being put at risk. In their view, compliance with the law means their expulsion from a market left in the hands of large companies and corporations, without allowing Canarians to share in the benefits.
Ascav believes that “the time has come to be received for the first time by the President of the Government of the Canary Islands and hopes that an agreement can finally be reached to put an end to a debate that has been deadlocked for over two years.”
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