Tourists in Spain to be hit by ‘green tax’ when visiting this national park

Louise Brown May 8, 2025 Travel Leave a comment

TOURISTS visiting Spain’s tallest mountain are set to be hit by a new ‘green tax’ from 2026.

Visitors to Teide National Park in Tenerife will have to stump up the new levy from the beginning of next year, the island’s governing council announced this week, following complaints of ‘overtourism’ at the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mount Teide is Spain’s highest mountain, standing at 3,715m.

Locals and environmentalists accuse tourists of parking illegally, using unmarked paths, climbing fragile formations, and stealing volcanic rocks as souvenirs.

Teide National Park, Tenerife: UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visitors to Mount Teide will be slapped with a new ‘green tax’ from next year. Credit: Wikimedia.com

Rosa Davila said that along with the new eco-tax and tighter traffic controls, she will install security cameras to help control the number visitors to the park.

As part of the effort to reduce visitor numbers, even buses that shuttle tourists to and from the park will become smaller.

Davila, a member of the regional council at the beginning of this week, said: “Climbing a peak should be a privilege that is done in an orderly manner and does not pose a threat to the environment.”

All tax profits, which only apply to nonresidents, are reinvested in conservation efforts.