The President of the Tenerife Island Council, Rosa Dávila, expressed on Friday her willingness to consider the possibility of charging for access to the island’s natural spaces, such as the Teide National Park, in the midst of a debate on the future tourism model that will reach its peak during the demonstration scheduled in honour of Canarias on the 20th of this month.
“As President of the Island Council, I am completely open to seeking mechanisms that will improve the quality of life,” Dávila stated. She added that in the quest to improve social welfare and environmental care in Tenerife, “we must be open to reducing the pressure on natural spaces; in other words, charging for access.”
In statements to Radio Club Tenerife, as reported by Efe, Dávila called for dialogue “with tranquillity and maximum respect” towards those who wish to express themselves during the 20A demonstrations calling for a change in the islands’ model because, in her opinion, “it could be the general sentiment of society.”
Apart from advocating for the imposition of fees in protected natural areas, the President of the Tenerife Island Council also deems it necessary to promote greater awareness of “respect” that must be shown towards the natural, cultural, and ethnographic heritage in Tenerife and all the islands, as well as the promotion of social housing.
“As President of the Council, I am absolutely open to seeking mechanisms that will result in an improvement in the quality of life.” Furthermore, she stressed, “considering that tourism is a very important part of our economy, generating employment, but it must be of high quality and improve the living conditions of our people.”
We must be open to reducing pressure in specific areas; to charging
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Dávila clarified that “the meeting point” with those protesting on the 20A in the streets of Canarias is that “the revenues from tourism must directly benefit the society it serves.” She warned that “the economic model must be designed to benefit the general welfare of society.”
The island’s president also emphasised that “the population must perceive that the revenues and turnover from tourism ultimately contribute to an improved quality of life.” She further highlighted: “It is true that Tenerife has a population pressure, but there are also circumstances related to the fact that not a single social housing unit has been constructed on the island in the last four years.”
I call for dialogue, with utmost respect for those who wish to demonstrate on 20A
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Dávila concluded with the reflection that, furthermore, “we must consider that the island is finite”, so “the demographic pressure that exists must be able to be channelled in some way.”
Lope Afonso’s Proposal
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In September of last year, four months after the elections on the 28M, Lope Afonso, Vice President of the Council and leader of the PP, raised the possibility of charging both visitors and residents to access the Teide. He later clarified that fees were not part of the short-term roadmap. Afonso then explained that his comments reflected a personal opinion and were in a hypothetical scenario. The Vice President called for “a debate based on serenity and respect.”
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Lope Afonso recalled that this issue was already on the table during the drafting of the new Plan for Usage and Management of the Teide National Park, which, for the moment, seems to have been put on hold since last year. He added that it was necessary to “assess the scope of the fee and what kind of service could be offered.” Regarding whether Canarian residents would have to pay, he emphasised that “as it is a fee, it is difficult to make exceptions in advance.” Nevertheless, he considered the possibility of establishing mechanisms in this regard.
