It's absurd . They see it as a problem for the parents , without any awareness that children aren't just their parents' children, but also children of society . And they make noise, they cry, they fight… which is part of raising children ; but some tourists just don't have the patience. The demographic decline the Canary Islands are experiencing and the resulting social rejection of children in certain public and leisure settings stem from a profound process of individualization . Southern Gran Canaria has over 40 hotels and apartment complexes operating under the Adults Only or Adults Friendly model , establishing itself as a stronghold of this type of accommodation on the island due to its importance as a driving force for tourism in the archipelago. It's quite another thing to have young children and expect every tourist in a hotel complex to act as a guardian while the parents are on their phones watching TikTok or just lounging around.
This unchecked growth in adults-only accommodations reflects one of the most significant economic and commercial trends in the Canary Islands' hotel sector, where the pursuit of profitability and the specialization of demand dictate business practices. The polarization of this accommodation model clashes directly with social reality, sparking an intense economic and ideological debate about the limits of market segmentation and the impact of so-called " child-phobia" in sun and beach destinations.
Sociology professor Luis Ayuso points out that raising children has ceased to be considered a collective responsibility and has become a strictly private matter. In a context of low birth rates, the reduced presence of children in public spaces generates discomfort and rejection in certain circles, as children are seen exclusively as an individual nuisance and not as a fundamental pillar for the sustainability of society. We lack policies for young people. Without getting into ideologies, we must try to help them become independent early and establish stable relationships, which are the ones that most often result in children, although single motherhood is also possible. Ultimately, we need policies that view having a family as something positive, and not just continue to emphasize how complicated it is , Ayuso states.
This shift in social perception coincides with the growing consolidation of adults-only tourist accommodations, a model that in strategic locations like southern Gran Canaria already encompasses more than forty specialized establishments. Owners of these types of resorts justify the measure primarily from the perspective of demand and the business model. The focus on couples seeking absolute tranquility, combined with structural features of the facilities themselves, such as slopes or infinity pools, prioritizes a product aimed at clients seeking to disconnect during their holidays.
Meanwhile, social analysts point to a shift in the emotional priorities of today's families and couples, where pets are gaining ground over parenthood due to their lower economic cost and the flexibility they offer compared to the long-term commitments of raising a child. This emotional substitution coincides with a historical deficit of public policies supporting families and young people in the country. The scarcity of effective emancipation measures, job insecurity, and the lack of effective work-life balance support mean that a large portion of the population who wish to have children encounter insurmountable barriers, perpetuating a model of modernization whose downside involves a worrying dehumanization and fragmentation of intergenerational living spaces.
