Tenerife has announced a major tourism change, with a new ban on tourist buses in Anaga Rural Park starting in January 2025.
Tenerife Cabildo President Rosa Dávila announced the decision, which is part of a larger reform to improve traffic flow and protect the island’s natural beauty.
This new ban on large buses aims to reduce the number of vehicles entering Anaga, which is a protected area with a diverse ecosystem.
Dávila explained that the plan will include creating a new parking area in Las Canteras to further restrict traffic in the Anaga Massif.
The governing body of Tenerife, Cabildo Insular, is also considering a similar measure for the popular Masca area, though a timeline for that has yet to be confirmed.
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The ban is just one of 70 measures introduced by the Cabildo to shift away from what Dávila described as an “obsolete model” of transportation on the island.
These initiatives have reportedly cut around 23 million vehicle trips over the past 15 months, according to Dávila.
She also stressed the administration’s commitment to free public transport, adding 7,000 new bus trips to help alleviate congestion.
However, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) has questioned these figures and called for detailed reports to confirm the reductions.
Nonetheless, Dávila defended her team’s efforts and urged opposition groups to support a “great pact for sustainable mobility” to improve life on the island.
The measures are expected to have a positive environmental impact, helping to preserve Tenerife’s natural areas.
By limiting large vehicles, officials hope to protect Anaga’s biodiversity and allow visitors to enjoy the island’s beauty without heavy traffic.
This comes amid contrasting reports that Tenerife seeks to attract more of a different kind of visitors.
While the island remains extremely popular with British tourists – around 2.3 million visited in 2022 – officials have stated that they want to appeal to a higher-spending audience.
Tenerife Tourism Corporation CEO Dimple Melwani, speaking at World Travel Market in London, said the island is not facing overtourism issues but is focusing on diversifying its tourist base.
“In the Canary Islands, we are far from the rates of tourist overcrowding of other competing destinations in the Mediterranean area,” Melwani said.
The goal, she added, is to promote Tenerife as a destination for “outdoor sports, gastronomy, and traditions,” rather than just low-cost holidays.
Like nearby Lanzarote, Tenerife’s tourism strategy for 2025 will target visitors with a higher income level to boost the island’s economy and support stable tourism-related jobs.
