Tenerife authorities in the Canary Islands in Spain in the European Union are seeking to deter stunts that damage the environment.
Tenerife crackdown on one type of UK tourist with £2,600 fines
Tenerife has launched a new crackdown on tourists with £2,600 fines. Tenerife authorities in the Canary Islands in Spain in the European Union are seeking to deter stunts that damage the environment.
It is planning to introduce measures to stop influencers performing stunts that wreck the environment. It comes as tourists flout rules over smoking – risking forest fires and disturbing wildlife.
Tenerife has warned YouTubers or influencers who post videos online that promote practices which are harmful to the environment could be targeted by a new digital surveillance unit. Rosa Dávila, president of the Tenerife Government, said the plans were intended to “prevent social media from becoming a showcase for impunity.”
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She said: “We cannot allow regulations to be broken just to take a good photograph.” Ms Dávila added that authorities would now be given the ability to take “a step further by monitoring social media,” after other measures failed to have the desired impact.
Fines for causing damage to the environment in Tenerife currently range between €3,000 (£2,600) and €300,000 (£260,000).
One influencer and gamer, Azogue Elea, who is known for throwing paella pans as far as he can in different outdoor areas, was forced to take down Instagram and TikTok videos showing himself throwing pans into the distance in Teide National Park following local outrage.
Alfonso Boullon, of environmental group Salvar La Tejita, said: “Antics like cutting hair for a TikTok video or throwing paella pans in the middle of Teide National Park have angered many people as it is a protected place.”
Brian Harrison, general secretary of environmental group Salvar La Tejita, who is British but has lived most of his life in Spain, said: “This initiative is only a response to overtourism, not a remedy to the root cause. The same administration has once again rejected a tourist tax, which practically every major tourist destination has applied.
“Expecting these politicians to protect the island is like expecting a pack of wolves to protect a flock of sheep.”