Tourists Behaving Badly: Visitors Accused Of Damaging Tenerife’s Mount Teide

Mount Teide is considered the “crown jewel” in the Canary Island of Tenerife, but this popular tourist destination is reportedly being “hurt” due to the many visitors it receives. Tourists are accused of trashing the Teide National Park by collecting rocks, going off-trail and climbing where they shouldn’t. Meanwhile, this comes in the wake of hunger strikes in 2024 in protest over overtourism in Tenerife.

Teide National Park is suffering from overtourism

After recent hunger strikes in 2024 to protest mass tourism in Tenerife, environmentalists in the Canary Islands are sounding the alarm. They criticize the damage tourism is doing to Teide National Park, home to Mount Teide, Spain’s highest peak.

Jaime Coello Bravo, Director of the Telesforo Bravo-Juan Coello Foundation called out the Tenerife Island Council for promoting what he describes as the “massification and destruction” of the national park, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In a post on Facebook, Bravo said the park “hurts” due to the many tourists trudging over its landscapes. Moreover, he shared videos and images of visitors straying off designated trails and climbing volcanic rock formations. In the post, he wrote:

If this is the crown jewel [of Tenerife’s natural sites]. How will the other spaces be? We know because most are equal or worse. It is a scandal and a shame the lack of response, inaction and complicity with an unsustainable situation.

National Park welcomes more than 3 million visitors each year

Nestling in the heart of Tenerife, the Teide National Park surrounds the Teide-Pico Viejo stratovolcano (Mount Teide), which rises 3.718 meters above sea level, while offering panoramic views over the surroundings. Those views and the stunning volcanic landscapes and the unique wildlife, like the Tenerife lizard, attract around three million tourists each year.

According to the Tenerife tourism board, the Teide National Park is the most-visited park in Europe. However, its popularity is causing damage to the delicate ecosystem. Bravo’s photos reveal a crowded car park, with visitors clambering over volcanic rocks, while one woman appears to be collecting stones from a restricted area.

New reservation system to reduce overtourism in Tenerife

Shortly before Bravo’s posts, the Cabildo de Tenerife (Island Council of Tenerife) revealed a new online reservation system aimed at controlling access to the park’s more advanced trails. Under the new system, visitors will be required to register online before attempting certain hiking routes, including those trails that head up to the summit of the stratovolcano.

Moreover, access will only be granted to authorized tourism professionals and mountain federations with proper permits and safety equipment. According to officials, the goal is to “preserve the natural environment and control the influx of people.”

Overtourism around the world

Tenerife is not the only place in Europe where ecosystems are taking the strain from high tourist numbers. In many cases, residents have often protested the excessive tourism.

Venice in Italy charges an entry fee for daytrippers to reduce overcrowding in the iconic city. Meanwhile, the island of Sardinia has begun banning beach towels and requires advanced bookings to visit certain beaches.

Meanwhile, locals in popular destinations like Amsterdam, Barcelona and Santorini are increasingly pushing back against overtourism.

With the summer tourist season approaching, Spain will likely have to take steps to avoid the dangers of excessive tourism and control access to its natural wonders.