Local officials in Tenerife have announced they will introduce a new eco-tax on tourists visiting Teide National Park from the beginning of next year. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is the home to Mount Teide, Spain’s tallest mountain at 3,715m above sea level. The mountain attracts hikers in their millions, keen to scale its heights for its stunning views of the surrounding area.
However, eco-activists have complained for years about the damage to the environment caused by overtourism at the nature reserve. Tourists have been accused of parking their vehicles illegally, using unmarked trails, climbing fragile formations and stealing volcanic rock as a souvenir.
Security cameras will also be installed and stricter traffic controls enforced in order to control visitor numbers to the park, according to Rosa Davila – the head of Tenerife’s governing council.
Authorities are even considering using smaller shuttle buses that ferry tourists to the site in a bid to cap visitor numbers.
“Climbing to the peak should be an orderly privilege, not a risk to the environment”, Davila told a regional debate earlier this week.
The new levy will not apply to local residents and all profits made from the charge will be ploughed back into conservation efforts.
The eco-tax announcement follows a decision by Tenerife’s council to introduce a tourist tax on all visitors to the island. New protests against overtourism are due to take place on all the Canary Islands – with the exception of La Gomera – on May 18. Organisers say they are taking to the streets again because their previous demands had “fallen on deaf ears”.
Activists demanded that the local authorities implement a number of measures to stem the ever increasing flow of tourists.
These include a moratorium on tourism developments, an eco-tax, a tighter law on residency, increased surveillance of natural areas and a halt to macro-projects such as the Cuna del Alma tourism project, with hundreds of luxury homes planned.
Many Spanish regions look set to either introduce tourist taxes or increase the charge in a bid to appease growing local anger. However, officials in Catalonia decided last month to delay a plan to charge a maximum €15 daily tourist tax starting in May.
The regional government said the increased tax, from the current €6-11, would be implemented in October at the earliest.