The increase in security incidents and the lack of social response at Canary Islands airports are jeopardizing the archipelago's image as a reliable tourist destination.
The Canary Islands' airports, key locations for the archipelago's tourist image, are once again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. As summer approaches, when the tourism sector in southern Gran Canaria prepares for one of its busiest seasons, the headlines aren't coming from the island's busiest tourist destination, but from its gateway.
In Lanzarote, a Scottish tourist was sentenced to four months in prison and ordered to pay more than 10.000 euros in compensation after assaulting a Civil Guard officer at César Manrique Airport a few days ago. The officer suffered a broken finger after the attack, and unions denounced the fact that such situations are not unusual.
Meanwhile, in Gran Canaria, the airport is facing another problem that goes beyond security: at least forty people live in its facilities without a home or alternative housing.Organizations like Caritas have spoken out against this situation, emphasizing that the terminals, conceived as transit spaces, have become makeshift shelters that no one seems willing to confront. (Example: Barajas - Madrid)
To all this we must add the recent and high-profile incident in which a 19-year-old Gambian youth was shot dead by policeafter threatening a taxi driver, passengers, and officers with a knife at Gran Canaria Airport. The news, widely reported by international media outlets such as The Sun and the Daily Mail, has had a direct impact on the destination's perception. It's not the kind of virality that tourism appreciates.
From the south of Gran Canaria, where much of the island's tourism industry is concentrated, these incidents are viewed with concern. No one doubts that the Canary Islands remain a safe destination, but the media hype generated by these types of events leaves its mark. The sector is calling for more coordination, more resources, and a clear message that these situations are not the norm, but the exception.
Because if tourism in the Canary Islands has proven anything, it's its resilience; but it's worth remembering that reputation takes years to build and only seconds to lose.
