PSOE Calls for Subsidized Altavista Refuge Stays for Tenerife Residents
The Tenerife Socialist group is urging the Island Council to utilize a €100,000 budget allocation to subsidize overnight stays for local residents at the newly reopened Altavista Refuge in Teide National Park.
The reopening of the Altavista Refuge on Monday, July 20, has sparked a fresh debate over how public resources are managed in Teide National Park. The Socialist group (PSOE) in the Tenerife Island Council is calling on the council to use a previously approved €100,000 budget allocation to subsidize up to half the cost of overnight stays for local residents.
The controversy surrounds the pricing for the historic refuge, which has a capacity of only 49 guests. Currently, residents pay €29 per night. Tamara Raya, Secretary-General of the PSOE, argues this is too expensive for local families, noting that a group of four would have to pay €116 for a single night. The Socialists are proposing a tiered pricing structure that would charge non-resident visitors more to help cover maintenance costs, thereby making the refuge more affordable for locals.
The political push comes after the refuge’s reopening was delayed by a year. The facility had been closed since November 2019, and after seven years of inactivity and several failed promises to reopen, the site is finally welcoming guests again.
The current pricing model charges €29 for residents, €56.80 for non-resident mountaineers, and €71 for the general public. The Socialist party maintains that no new funding is needed; they are simply urging the council to use the money already set aside in the 2026 budget. This dispute highlights the ongoing tension in protected natural areas: balancing the need to keep facilities financially sustainable with the public’s right to access their natural heritage at an affordable price.