Meliá may take control of a scandalous hotel in Tenerife: environmentalists are sounding the alarm.

Environmentalists are sounding the alarm: the Meliá hotel chain may take over a hotel being built by the scandalous company Viqueira SL on La Tejita beach. This project has been causing outrage among local residents since 2015.

"The hotel is being built right on the dunes, which is a unique ecosystem, one of the few remaining in Tenerife. This is a real environmental disaster for the island, because until recently La Tejita was the last large unspoiled beach in the south," say environmentalists.

The statement was signed by various organizations, including the Telesforo Bravo y Juan Coello Foundation, Ben Magec, ATAN, ADNT, Salvar La Tejita, and the Abeque Association. They remind that 160,000 signatures have already been collected against the construction of this hotel, and protests have been ongoing for over 7 years.

Environmentalists believe that this hotel, like the Cuna del Alma project, has overflowed the patience of people who are now actively fighting against excessive tourism.

According to them, Meliá has been negotiating for several months to take over the management of this hotel, which is still under construction.

"Viqueira SL is a construction company, not a hotel company. They can't find a hotel chain that would agree to buy their rights. How is this possible?" environmentalists wonder.

The construction of this scandalous hotel has already been stopped four times due to violations of the law on the coast, as it affects the dunes that protect the coast.

"Currently, the construction permit is being challenged in court, and 30% of the hotel is outside the permitted area. This means that about 200 rooms will not be able to be built. No decent hotel chain will want to get involved in such a problematic project," environmentalists assure.

They add that buying the rights to a hotel that has already been caught up in litigation is very risky. After all, environmentalists not only demand the demolition of the hotel, but also constantly remind Meliá of the possible consequences.

Therefore, environmentalists are calling on Meliá's director, Gabriel Escarrer, to refuse to cooperate in the destruction of the Tenerife coast, in accordance with the company's sustainable development policy.

Otherwise, they say, Meliá will face the largest public campaign in the Canary Islands due to its environmental hypocrisy.

Environmentalists also demand that the authorities stop construction and buy back the land to restore the ecosystem.