Warning to holidaymakers as Tenerife announces new 'tourist tax'

Holidaymakers heading to Tenerife will need to pay a 'tourist taxi' in certain areas from next year.

The new 'eco tax' for tourists is being introduced on the island from January, 2025, the council of Tenerife confirmed over the weekend.

The tax is being introduced to make the island "a more sustainable and environmentally responsible space" according to the president of Tenerife Rosa Davila - The MEN reports.

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Details of how much the tax will be are yet to be released, but the president said that it will only apply to tourists and not residents. It's understood that it will apply to those visiting certain beauty spots and nature reserves on the island.

Announcing the plans on Saturday on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ms Davila said: "As of January 1, 2025, Tenerife will have an ecotax for tourists who visit the Island. An ecotax 100% destined for the conservation, improvement and protection of our natural spaces. Residents of the island of Tenerife will NOT pay the ecotax to enjoy our spaces."

Previously Ms Davila said on X that the ecotax will be used alongside "other measures such as control and limitation of access based on capacity." She added that the "unprecedented measure that makes Tenerife a more sustainable and environmentally responsible space."

It's likely that the eco tax will take the form of entry fees with money generated going towards the conservation and maintenance of Tenerife's landscapes. The Canary Islands are home to biodiversity hotspots, many of which are fragile and there are concerns that too many visitors could damage these landscapes and habitats. The new eco-tax should help mitigate these concerns.

Although the eco-tax is only being imposed in Tenerife, it comes amid recent protests across the Spanish Islands against the government's current tourism model. Residents have called for tourism to be managed more sustainably as numbers of visitors threaten the island's infrastructure. Earlier this month activists went on hunger strike in Tenerife, opposing the development of a new hotel and beach on the island as well as demanding a halt to all tourism development projects.

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