Tourist tax: Popular Canary Islands holiday destination Tenerife to bring in charge to prevent island becoming a 'theme park'

UK holidaymakers could face having to pay a tourist tax when visiting popular holiday destination Tenerife as the island battles with the amount of tourists. The news comes following mass protests in the holiday hotspot over overtourism. 

Tens of thousands were involved in rallies last weekend that were seen on Tenerife and on the other Canary islands of Lanzarote and Gran Canaria. The April 20 protests were organised under the banner: "The Canary Islands have a limit". 

A spokesperson from Tenerife Friends of Nature Association (ATAN) group previously explained to BirminghamLive: “The problem is due to the chosen model of mass tourism, which also attracts unscrupulous investments and investors and a tourist profile that is mostly disrespectful of the environment and the people who live on these islands. The number of tourists is too high for an island territory, in addition to digital nomads and European settlers who stay on the islands with incomes and purchasing power far higher than those of the islanders, so they have access to housing and land to the detriment of the local population. 

“We need quality tourism that respects natural resources and does not continue to devour the territory of our archipelago. For this, we need rules that limit urban growth, to limit tourist growth, and to establish more areas subject to protection."

The new Tenerife tax will reportedly come in on New Year’s Day 2025. It is understood that it will not be applied to tourists upon accessing the island but instead the charge will be made for visits to natural spots and beauty sites. 

This includes visits to the volcano Mount Teide and hamlets such as Masca while islanders will also be charged. Rosa Dávila, the first female president of Tenerife, said: “We must analyse the exceptionalities that can be applied in a territory as fragile and limited as ours. What is clear is that Tenerife cannot be a theme park.

"Those who visit us have to value and respect our natural and cultural wealth, our resources, and they have to be clear about the rules for their preservation. In addition, there have to be limits to prevent tourism from overflowing."