Teide Ecotax, Limits Slash Visitor Numbers

New rules at Teide National Park, including an ecotax and limits on visitors, have led to a sharp drop in visitor numbers. This is according to Rosa Dávila, president of the Tenerife Island Council. These changes, designed to ease the strain on the protected park, saw a significant fall in entries during their first month.

From December 19 to January 19, the park had 38,200 visitors. But in the next month, from January 19 to February 19, this number plummeted to just 10,893. While the new rules are seen as the main reason for this drop, bad weather also played a part. Snow and strong winds caused the park to close intermittently at the start of the year.

A booking system for popular trails like Telesforo Bravo and Montaña Blanca has proven effective in managing visitor numbers. Figures show that most visitors (94.3%) were not from Tenerife. Only 4% (432 people) were from Tenerife, and 124 came from other Canary Islands. Another 63 spots were used by official park guides.

In its first month, the ecotax collected over 70,000 euros. As planned, all this money will go directly towards protecting and maintaining Teide National Park. Ms. Dávila has stated that this initiative is vital for protecting the island's unique identity and the park's most delicate natural areas.

Alongside these new access rules, the Island Council has also announced a major boost to security and surveillance staff in the National Park. The president explained that by the end of the month, the number of environmental agents in the park will jump from two to thirteen. They will be joined by sixteen rural guards. Their job will be to keep the environment safe and deal with any issues that could harm it. This extra staff will focus on park entrances, viewpoints, and trails, aiming to protect the natural heritage and keep visitors safe.