Spain tourist hotspot faces summer of 'changeover day' travel chaos as hotel staff set to strike

Hotel staff across Tenerife and the western Canary Islands are preparing for a series of strikes this summer, with plans for weekly walkouts every Friday in July and August amid escalating tensions between unions and hoteliers.

The action could wreak havoc in a destination favoured by Brits - and it will be particularly disruptive as Friday is typically a changeover day for travellers.

Sindicalistas de Base, the leading union in the hospitality sector, announced on Monday that it plans to formally propose strike action at a union committee meeting scheduled for 16th June. The proposed action includes protests outside major chain hotels and a series of strikes starting from Friday 4th July, according to the Canarian.

This potential industrial action comes just months after similar strikes over the Easter period caused disruptions in the tourism industry, highlighting ongoing grievances about pay and working conditions in one of the Canary Islands' key economic sectors.

Union leader Manuel Fitas pointed out that on 29th May, the union issued a 15-day ultimatum to hotel associations Ashotel and Aero to agree to a 6.5% pay rise before entering any new contract discussions, a deadline which is now fast approaching.

Fitas slammed the employers' inflexible stance on pay negotiations, criticising their "stubborn refusal" to discuss wage rises separately without a full renegotiation of the collective agreement, which he said has forced the union's hand towards a "new escalation" in the dispute.

If strikes roll out, they'll hammer tourism's core during its peak season, straining hoteliers and potentially leaving thousands of holidaymakers in the lurch, compelling a return to talks.

The spectre of overtourism sparks battles across Spain this year. A fresh wave of protests is slated for 15 June, hitting hotspots like the Canary Islands, Majorca, Barcelona and other urban areas including Ibiza, Valencia, and Bilbao.

Last summer saw locals enraged, rallying against the tourist flood in Barcelona, the Canaries and Majorca, with some residents even pinning property price surges on tourists and "digital nomads".

A new series of demonstrations have kicked off this week, steered by the Southern European Network Against Touristisation, following initial protests that erupted in April 2025, with thousands marching to air worries over rampant tourism and escalating living costs attributed to the influx of visitors.

Activist groups such as Menys Turisme, Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life) in Majorca, are calling for more sustainable tourism practices, restrictions on growth and improved protection for local environments and communities. These groups are orchestrating coordinated actions in cities across Spain, including Palma (Majorca), Barcelona, Lanzarote and Donostia-San Sebastián.

Ben Hurst