A popular Spanish viewpoint is in danger of becoming overwhelmed by the impacts of tourism, locals have warned. The Mirador de Chipeque in La Orotava in Tenerife is located 1,800 metres above sea level and offers panoramic views of Mount Teide and sunsets over the island’s iconic sea of clouds.
The picturesque views of the island’s coast have made the viewpoint popular amongst tourists, with hundreds arriving each day at peak times. But its popularity and the influx of visitors have caused concern and anger, with traffic jams on the approach road, illegal parking, and the blocking of emergency exits in particular enraging locals. Locals have also expressed annoyance on social media about tourists ignoring barriers, and setting up chairs and camping tables in protected areas, thus negatively damaging the environment.
The impact on the environment has become that biologist Pablo Martín has warned that carelessly dropped cigarette ends pose a serious risk of wildfire in an area of dry forest and high temperatures.
Local volunteers say that they collected over 200 discarded cigarette butts, plastics, wet wipes, and food wrappers in one afternoon of litter picking. The waste proved to be not only unsightly but also a serious risk to the local environment.
The island’s council introduced a smoking ban in 2024 to try and combat the issue but it appears that the ban is not robustly enforced, with visitors able to smoke and discard their cigarette ends without consequence.
The issue of tourism and its impact has become a hot topic across Spain, with the Canary Islands one of the epicentres of opposition toward the influx of visitors.
Several popular destinations have held mass protests urging authorities to act to combat the impact of tourism and telling holidaymakers to stay away.
In 2024, the islands experienced a record-breaking year for the industry, with international arrivals topping one million for 14 consecutive months.
In March this year, the whole archipelago received a record-breaking 1.55 million international arrivals, up 0.9% compared to the same month the previous year, despite widespread mass-tourism protests by residents.
In the first quarter of 2025, over 4.36 million people descended on the islands, posing serious concerns for locals who have complained of increased property prices, anti-social behaviour and a strain on public services.
The figures represent an increase of 2.1% more than the same period in 2024, suggesting that protests against tourism across the island and Spain more generally are not reducing arrivals.