Sun-worshipping Brits may need to find a new holiday hotspot following years of growing tension. A whopping 15.5 million international tourists visited the Canary Islands last year, a Spanish-owned archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa, 40 per cent of which travelled from the UK. Tenerife led the craze, with more than 6.2 million international visitors and 900,000 domestic. Gran Canaria followed with nearly 4 million tourists from overseas, which is extremely impressive considering it is a whopping 500km² smaller than Tenerife - and is actually the third largest island in both area and altitude.

However, last year also saw thousands of locals taking to the streets to protest the over-tourism on the archipelago. Chanting the slogan 'Canary Islands has a limit', residents with placards stormed tourist-heavy hotspots such as hotels and beaches to hammer home the message to British tourists. Protestors had several demands, including a temporary ban on holiday homes to prevent residents from being priced out of the property market, a tourist tax on foreign visitors to ensure better care for protected areas, as well as increased wages and a fairer distribution of wealth generated by tourism. Now, a hotel ban may also be on the list.

The Gran Canaria Cabildo (government) has opened a public consultation asking citizens for their opinion on the island's tourism model. The 11-question survey will remain open until the end of the month (February 28) and acknowledges that the topic has 'never been so widely debated'. Want the latest travel news and cheap holiday deals sent straight to your inbox? Sign up to our Travel Newsletter. According to local news outlet Canarian Weekly, many residents have responded to the question 'What changes would you make to Gran Canaria's current tourism model?' with calls for a moratorium on new hotel and holiday accommodation developments. "Many respondents argue that limiting expansion is essential to prevent further strain on local resources and residential housing," the publication added.

Other suggestions include large-scale projects to help preserve the island's natural landscapes and to U-turn on developments that 'destroy the island' - as well as shifting the prioritisation over to locals, rather than tourists. The Cabildo has said the consultations results could play a 'key role' in determining the future direction of the island's tourism sector, which contributes around 35 per cent of their GDP.