From Iceland to the Canary Islands: Understanding the Appeal of Mass Tourism in the Age of Over-Tourism
The Canary Islands have long been a major European destination for mass tourism, often associated with ‘sun-and-beach’ vacations. Critiques of mass tourism have intensified in recent years, as reflected in the 2024 protests in the Canary Islands, which linked mass tourism to economic inequalities an...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Tourism and Hospitality |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/76 |
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| author | Kristín Loftsdóttir Már Wolfgang Mixa |
| author_facet | Kristín Loftsdóttir Már Wolfgang Mixa |
| author_sort | Kristín Loftsdóttir |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Canary Islands have long been a major European destination for mass tourism, often associated with ‘sun-and-beach’ vacations. Critiques of mass tourism have intensified in recent years, as reflected in the 2024 protests in the Canary Islands, which linked mass tourism to economic inequalities and concerns about sustainability. Through the case example of Icelandic tourism to the Canary Islands, this research asks two questions: (a) why mass tourism destinations are appealing, and (b) how these reasons can be more fully understood within a broader geopolitical and structural context. The research methods include a survey conducted in Iceland in 2022 and an analysis of media coverage in Iceland related to the Canary Islands from 2017 to 2022. Survey data indicate that the islands are primarily perceived as an easily accessible, well-established holiday destination. Simultaneously, an analysis of media discussions reveals a limited discourse on the islands in Icelandic media, mainly focusing on tourism. The results illustrate how specific destinations become desirable by prioritizing infrastructure associated with mass tourism, where tourism’s impact on host communities, economies, and environments tends to be invisible. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6d33f85502b84b9c81690ae46de9cd71 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-5768 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tourism and Hospitality |
| spelling | doaj-art-6d33f85502b84b9c81690ae46de9cd712025-08-20T03:29:52ZengMDPI AGTourism and Hospitality2673-57682025-04-01627610.3390/tourhosp6020076From Iceland to the Canary Islands: Understanding the Appeal of Mass Tourism in the Age of Over-TourismKristín Loftsdóttir0Már Wolfgang Mixa1Department of Anthropology, University of Iceland, 102 Reykjavík, IcelandFaculty of Business Administration, University of Iceland, 102 Reykjavík, IcelandThe Canary Islands have long been a major European destination for mass tourism, often associated with ‘sun-and-beach’ vacations. Critiques of mass tourism have intensified in recent years, as reflected in the 2024 protests in the Canary Islands, which linked mass tourism to economic inequalities and concerns about sustainability. Through the case example of Icelandic tourism to the Canary Islands, this research asks two questions: (a) why mass tourism destinations are appealing, and (b) how these reasons can be more fully understood within a broader geopolitical and structural context. The research methods include a survey conducted in Iceland in 2022 and an analysis of media coverage in Iceland related to the Canary Islands from 2017 to 2022. Survey data indicate that the islands are primarily perceived as an easily accessible, well-established holiday destination. Simultaneously, an analysis of media discussions reveals a limited discourse on the islands in Icelandic media, mainly focusing on tourism. The results illustrate how specific destinations become desirable by prioritizing infrastructure associated with mass tourism, where tourism’s impact on host communities, economies, and environments tends to be invisible.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/76mobilitiesmass tourismovertourismtouristificationgeopolitical inequalitiesCanary Islands |
| spellingShingle | Kristín Loftsdóttir Már Wolfgang Mixa From Iceland to the Canary Islands: Understanding the Appeal of Mass Tourism in the Age of Over-Tourism Tourism and Hospitality mobilities mass tourism overtourism touristification geopolitical inequalities Canary Islands |
| title | From Iceland to the Canary Islands: Understanding the Appeal of Mass Tourism in the Age of Over-Tourism |
| title_full | From Iceland to the Canary Islands: Understanding the Appeal of Mass Tourism in the Age of Over-Tourism |
| title_fullStr | From Iceland to the Canary Islands: Understanding the Appeal of Mass Tourism in the Age of Over-Tourism |
| title_full_unstemmed | From Iceland to the Canary Islands: Understanding the Appeal of Mass Tourism in the Age of Over-Tourism |
| title_short | From Iceland to the Canary Islands: Understanding the Appeal of Mass Tourism in the Age of Over-Tourism |
| title_sort | from iceland to the canary islands understanding the appeal of mass tourism in the age of over tourism |
| topic | mobilities mass tourism overtourism touristification geopolitical inequalities Canary Islands |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/76 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kristinloftsdottir fromicelandtothecanaryislandsunderstandingtheappealofmasstourismintheageofovertourism AT marwolfgangmixa fromicelandtothecanaryislandsunderstandingtheappealofmasstourismintheageofovertourism |