Tenerife’s council plans to install nine surveillance cameras at one of its most popular tourist attractions.
The move is part of continuing efforts to control visitor numbers to the Teide National Park.
Some four million people per year visit the 46,000 acre nature reserve, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
The cameras will be installed in January and will monitor traffic flow at the four main road entrances to the park.
In addition, 30 new counting devices will track usage across 41 trails, covering 130.8 kilometres.
Authorities are keen to prevent environmental damage to the park and enhance the visitor experience.
Furthermore, improvements will be made to the park’s 32 viewing points, paths, parking facilities, and the exterior of the Juan Évora Site Museum.
Rest areas at Alto de Guamaso and Roques de García will also be upgraded.
The installation and upgrades will cost around £1.49million (€1.8m), and are part of a larger £4.46m (€5.4m) collaboration with the Canary Islands Department of Ecological Transition.
Visitor numbers are currently capped at 300 per day. Anyone planning to visit must obtain a prior permit, which can be applied for online.
Many tourists have in the past complained about overcrowding at the park, particularly in high season.
A British couple described their visit to the reserve in 2020 as a “nightmare” in a Tripadvisor review.
Mungo and Maria C from Epsom wrote: “What a nightmare trying to park a car anywhere near the cable car station!
“The entrance road was blocked by tour buses and in the end after 30 minutes we managed to find a parking place a long uphill walk to the station.
“Getting into the cable car was a not a pleasant experience as after being held packed in a pen for 10 minutes there was a mad scramble for window places and the unlucky ones were squashed tightly together in the middle of the car. Very unpleasant.”
The national park is home to Mount Teide, the third highest and most voluminous volcanic structure in the world, following Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
It is also the highest peak on the Canary Islands and in the whole of Spain.
