Tenerife imposing new 'ban' affecting UK tourists 'to protect Canary Islands'

Tenerife has been forced to introduce a new charge for UK tourists in one idyllic hotspot. European Union holidaymakers have been warned the Canary Islands will impose a new ban on a Tenerife beauty spot in a blow to visitors.

A major new ban will be implemented in Tenerife with tourist buses set to be banned from accessing the Anaga Rural Park starting January 2025, before the peak spring and summer seasons. Tenerife Cabildo President Rosa Dávila announced the decision.

The move comes as part of a larger reform to improve traffic flow and protect the island’s natural beauty. Dávila emphasised that the new measures are part of a broader strategy to replace what she described as the "obsolete model" of mobility currently in place on the island.

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These measures are designed not only to reduce traffic congestion but also to protect Tenerife's fragile ecosystems. Defending the move, Davila championed the administration's commitment to free public transportation, after a backlash.

He citd the addition of 7,000 new bus journeys designed to alleviate congestion and argud these initiatives have already led to the elimination of 23 million vehicle trips over the past 15 months, significantly reducing traffic congestion in the region.

Tenerife Tourism Corporation CEO Dimple Melwani, speaking at World Travel Market in London, said the island is not facing overtourism issues. “In the Canary Islands, we are far from the rates of tourist overcrowding of other competing destinations in the Mediterranean area,” Melwani said.

It comes after protests and demonstrations swept the Canary Islands, including Tenerife and Lanzarote, and spread to the Balearics as locals become increasingly fed up and angry over a lack of affordable housing, as well as overtourism from foreigners.

The goal, she added, is to promote Tenerife as a destination for “outdoor sports, gastronomy, and traditions,” rather than just low-cost holidays.