The Canary Islands are once again to stage a protest against their current tourism model, this time with a march at the Teide National Park, signalling that it’s not only cities which are affected by mass tourism in Spain.
The group Canarias tiene un límite (The Canary Islands have a limit) are due to hold their next protest against the archipelago’s economic development model and overtourism in Teide National Park, just below Spain’s highest mountain.
The protest is due to be held on Saturday June 7th at 8am in the Roques de García area of the park.
The group is demanding the conservation of the park and “the defence of its values, against the prevalence of mass tourism and leisure promoted by the Council”.
The march will cross the national park’s most visited area: the TF-21 highway from La Ruleta viewpoint to the Parador del Teide hotel and back again. The protest group claims it will be “respectful and conscious” of the environment.
During the rally, visitors will be urged to respect Mount Teide and its volcanic surroundings, not park outside of official parking areas, and not wander off trails.
The march will be silent, with no loudspeakers, shouting or chanting. It will take place on tarmac or sidewalks, not actually on park trails, and no one will be carrying banners which may disturb wildlife.
Canarias tiene un límite was one of the groups which helped to organise the huge protests across all eight islands on April 20th last year, and again on October 20th 2024. They also organised a further protest more recently on May 18th 2025.
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Their objective is to have a balance between tourism, nature and locals and they have submitted 1,200 proposals on the need for a new tourism model.
Tenerife’s Cabildo government wanted to prohibit the group from protesting in a national park, with president Rosa Dávila stating that “Teide is not a place for demonstrations nor a backdrop for your ideological battles”.
Nevertheless, the march at the base of Spain’s highest peak (3.715 metres high) has been given the green light after the Canary government delegation rejected Tenerife Council’s request to change the location to El Portillo visitor centre.
In mid-May of this year, Dávila confirmed that starting in 2026, Tenerife authorities will charge non-resident visitors an eco-tax to be able to visit Teide, which is to be used for conservation.
Teide National Park is one of the most popular in all of Spain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which in 2023 (the most recent data available) received 4.4 million visitors.
With such huge visitor numbers, there has been a growing number of incidents involving tourists misbehaving, such as holidaymakers having barbecues in the unique volcanic setting, rubbish being left behind and traffic jams.
Tinerfeños, locals from Tenerife, are immensely proud of Mount Teide, a peak which has been spiritually and symbolically important since pre-Hispanic times, when the Canaries were inhabited by the Guanches.
Tenerife and the rest of the Atlantic archipelago will also participate in demos against mass tourism being held across Spain and Europe on June 15th.
READ ALSO: What to expect from the mass tourism protests across Spain in June
