Rats have reportedly been pictured near sunbeds on beaches in Gran Canaria. Tourism officials fear that the images will damage the Canary Island’s reputation and say action needs to be taken to tackle the rodents and a purported accumulation of rubbish, local media says.
It is said that affected areas include Playa del Inglés, Las Burras and San Agustín in San Bartolomé de Tirajana. “This is not the image of quality that corresponds to a destination like ours and, without a doubt, it affects the work and puts at risk the joint effort of the entire island in the promotion and in the message that we want to export,” Carlos Álamo, a tourism councillor from the Gran Canaria Island Council, said, according to Canarias7.
During a visit on Thursday, clean up work was being carried out, he added.
Rat sightings have been happening since last week, it is reported.
It has been branded “completely unacceptable”.
Councillor Álamo wants an analysis of what happened to be conducted in order to determine who is responsible for cleaning, maintenance and waste collection in the impacted areas.
He added: “Beyond the immediate impact, we must ensure this never happens again.
“Our beaches are one of our main calling cards for visitors and require the highest level of care, cleanliness, and maintenance.”
It comes as data suggests that Gran Canaria generated a record revenue of €1.18billion from tourism between April and June this year.
This is despite having fewer visitors than during the same period of 2025.
FRONTUR figures suggest the island welcomed 991,642 tourists.