The PSOE of Tenerife reiterated on Friday the necessity for individuals to pay an entrance fee to access the gorge. All residents of the Canary Islands, including both those from Tenerife and other islands, are required to pay the fee, with the provision that the amount is refunded to them later on.
In an official statement, the PSOE stated that information from the Masca reservation centre confirms the requirement for an entrance fee to access the gorge, which was reopened by the Socialist Party upon taking office on the island, after being closed since 2018.
The Socialist Party asserts in the statement that the President of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, “did not provide accurate information and hastily devised a solution to the socialists’ complaint, as the Government Council agreement clearly specifies a fee of three euros for all Canary Islanders, without exceptions, as corroborated by the website, which does not allow free access for residents of Tenerife.”
The interim solution involves reimbursing the fee at the entrance, a move that, according to the PSOE, is a “misguided action”.
The PSOE points out that this is not the first time a fee has been imposed for entry into a protected area in Tenerife, contrary to what the island’s president has stated, with the initial fee being set at the Barranco del Infierno in Adeje, as highlighted by the Secretary General of the PSOE in Tenerife, Pedro Martín.
According to the PSOE, estimates show that if all visitors to Masca were non-resident tourists, only 0.6% of the 6.5 million tourists visiting Tenerife would be contributing to any form of tax.
All of this is considered while acknowledging that the maximum number of daily visitors to Masca is limited to 275 and that it is only open from Friday to Sunday, resulting in 825 visitors per week and 3,300 per month, as per the PSOE.
