Vocabulary

Video

Transcript

 
If the depth of discontent could be measured in numbers, then this tells you all you need to know. “The United Canary Islands will never be defeated,” the crowd shouts. To both ear and eye, it’s the language of battle.

The Canarians have had enough.

Protester, One: “The tourism system doesn’t work anymore. It’s not useful for Canarian people, and they are losing more than they win.”

Protester, Two: “It is not only the tourism projects; it is the queues, it is precarious work, it is unemployment, it is the weariness of the people who are tired of it.”

Surprise, surprise, the Canary Islands are much more than just tourism. In fact, there are much more: things like housing, water supplies, environmental landscape are said to be so degraded that people are at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

Protester, Three: “Then we have the territory oversaturated with constructions and also constructions that are being totally destroyed with no use within the tourism industry.

And what we’re doing is speculating about the land, leaving the natural areas totally unprotected.”

Activists claim that a luxury hotel being built here is on public maritime land.

The developer says its planning license complies with the law, and has accused the activists of misinformation.

This week, they jumped a fence to sit in front of the mechanical digger.

Paul Charles, Travel and Tourism Expert: “I don’t think local people, whether it’s on the Canaries or elsewhere, want tourists to go away. They don’t want the planes to stop bringing people in.

They just want more sustainable tourism. They want to know that their infrastructure can be protected, that there can be sustainable growth, and that tourists who are coming in respect their local land and help them live their lives.”

Tourism accounts for roughly 40% of the local economy here. Last year, official data shows that nearly fourteen (14) million people visited the archipelago, which is inhabited by 2 million people.

Protester, Four: “We can’t cope with all this. It’s too much, too much for such a small island. We also fight for decent housing, not have to pay excessively high rents just to be on our own land.”

These people in wheelchairs are on their 10th day of a hunger strike. However weak they may feel, the strength in their message couldn’t be clearer.”

Questions

 
Canary Islands. Only a small group of environmentalist protested on the Canary Islands. True or false?

Azores, Madeira Islands. Are the Canary Islanders only fed up with overcrowding?

Iceland. Is the Canary Islands adequately preserving, protecting and maintaining its natural environment?

Falkland Island. Have locals only protested in the cities?

Greenland. According to the tourism expert, the Canarians hate tourism and want all tourists banned from their islands. Is this right or wrong?

Cuba. Does the Canary Islands have a very diverse economy?

Jamaica. What quantitative information was given?

Dominican Republic. Are some local very zealous about their fight against overtourism?
 
 
 
Trinidad and Tobago. I was born on an island. I live on an island. I am from an island. Yes or no? Do you know anyone from a small island?

Cape Verde. Have you or your friends visited an island? If yes, which ones?

Faeroe Island. Do you completely agree, generally agree, I’m in the middle, I agree and disagree, I disagree, or I totally disagree with the protesters.

Bermuda. Would you like to live on an island?

Bahamas. What might happen in the future?

British Isles. What could or should Canarians, businesses, touristst and the government do?