The Canary Islands received more than 12.6 million visitors in 2022. The massive number of tourists in Tenerife, and the current hotel and tourism policies development have resulted in heavy impacts on resident satisfaction, areas of natural beauty, water resources, solid waste management, pressure on infrastructure, and a high dependence on overseas suppliers. More recently, COVID-19 restrictions and the eruption in La Palma highlighted the overdependence on tourism in the Canary Islands.
Sustainable tourism in the Canary Islands would address and work to improve the environmental and social issues caused by decades of mass tourism. Methods such as supporting small businesses that are not run by international hotel companies, holding hotel companies responsible for their extreme water usage and pollution, and protecting areas of natural beauty.
Follow our coverage of the most recent news of the protests and demonstrations for a more sustainable tourism model in the Canary Islands and learn more about the reasons residents have to protest.
Cuna del Alma, el Aula Marina, y las Tortugas
Las Islas Canarias se promocionan como un paraíso de biodiversidad y turismo sostenible. Pero la historia del Puertito de Adeje SeaLab revela una realidad muy distinta: un patrón en el que las autoridades locales explotan las iniciativas de restauración ambiental para generar relaciones públicas
Cuna del Alma, the SeaLab and the Turtles
The Canary Islands are marketing themselves as a paradise of biodiversity and sustainable tourism. But the story of the Puertito de Adeje SeaLab reveals a very different truth: a pattern in which local authorities exploit environmental restoration initiatives for public relations, only to erase them
Freely available opinion pieces, in both English and en Español, about Sustainable and unsustainable tourism in the Canary Islands
Cuna del Alma
Cuna del Alma is the proposed ‘eco-resort’ promoting ‘sustainable tourism’ to be developed in the Puertito de Adeje area, Tenerife. This small coastal area is one of the few currently untouched natural spaces found in the south of the island, much of the coastline along southern Tenerife has been urbanised to meet the needs of tourists visiting the island.
Puertito de Adeje is currently unprotected and classified as ‘urbanizable’, thus leading to the Cuna del Alma project proposal. Research into the area of Puertito de Adeje is critical, to developing a greater understanding of the geology, endemic fauna, and endemic flora in the marine and terrestrial environment.
We have worked with local, national, and international experts and institutions to analyse the impacts of the proposed resort these findings have been written up in a scientific report, and we present the highlights of this research in a highly interactive format to ensure maximum engagement. Our focus is always on the residents affected by large-scale projects of this type.
Our multimedia analysis project includes the following:
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3D Models of the proposed site and the marine environment
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Timeline of El Puertito land use and the Cuna del Alma project
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Interactive map of the Vegetation, Marine Life, and Geology in El Puertito
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Drone footage of the marine habitat of Puertito de Adeje
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Video interviews and testimonials from residents and experts
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A detailed report on the impact of this project on the people and environment
