Canary Islands Put Active Tourism Safety and Ecotourism Rules in Focus at Tenerife Conference

The Canary Islands are putting active tourism, ecotourism and outdoor safety firmly back on the travel agenda this week, as Los Realejos in northern Tenerife hosts the fourth Canary Islands Active Tourism and Ecotourism Conference on 16 June 2026.

The professional meeting at Casa de La Parra brings together public administrations, specialist companies, tourism professionals and emergency-planning experts to discuss some of the issues that matter most to visitors who choose the archipelago for hiking, nature excursions, stargazing, rural stays, guided adventure activities and visits to protected landscapes.

The programme is centred on the new Canary Islands Active Tourism Decree, the regulation and management challenges facing Teide National Park, the alert and emergency system in the islands, climate-change adaptation, and the future of active tourism and ecotourism as part of the region's tourism model.

For holidaymakers, this is not a new travel restriction and it does not change ordinary entry requirements, airport operations or hotel stays. Its importance is more practical and long term: the Canary Islands are continuing to refine how outdoor tourism is organised, how professional operators are recognised, how safety is managed in natural spaces, and how nature-based experiences can grow without undermining the landscapes that make the islands so attractive.

Why this matters for Canary Islands holidays

The Canary Islands are often promoted for their beaches and winter sun, but a large part of the visitor economy now depends on outdoor experiences beyond the resort strip. Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura all attract travellers who want to walk volcanic trails, book guided hikes, visit viewpoints, explore ravines, join whale-watching or coastal experiences, try paragliding, cycle mountain roads, follow wine and gastronomy routes, or spend time in rural accommodation close to protected landscapes.

That demand has made active tourism a serious part of the islands' holiday offer rather than a niche add-on. It also means the sector needs rules that are clear enough for companies, trustworthy enough for visitors, and realistic enough for small local operators who run many of the most distinctive experiences.

The fresh focus in Los Realejos is therefore significant because it connects several visitor-facing questions at once. How should travellers identify properly authorised guides and excursion providers? How should protected areas such as Teide National Park balance access, conservation and safety? How should companies respond when heat, wind, fire risk, rough seas or other alerts affect planned activities? And how can the islands keep offering memorable nature-based holidays while reducing pressure on fragile places?

A new phase for active tourism regulation

The central subject of the Tenerife meeting is the updated Canary Islands framework for active tourism and ecotourism. The regional government approved Decree 138/2025 to update the earlier 2017 regulation for active tourism activities, with an emphasis on quality, sustainability, safety, professional requirements and the rights and obligations of users and companies.

The government described the reform as a way to establish the legal framework for the sector after consultation with the relevant agents. The background is substantial: the sector represented around 1,200 companies in the islands and more than 4,000 linked jobs when the decree was approved. That scale helps explain why the topic is important for tourism policy, not just for individual guides or adventure companies.

For visitors, the most relevant part of the regulation is the push toward clearer professional standards. A traveller booking a guided hiking route, a canyoning-style activity, a stargazing excursion, a kayaking trip or another outdoor experience needs confidence that the provider is operating within a recognised framework, has appropriate knowledge, understands local risks, and is prepared to adapt or cancel when conditions change.

The decree's wider purpose is also to distinguish professional tourism services from activities that are purely sporting, informal or associative. That distinction matters in a holiday destination where tourists may not easily know the difference between an authorised company, a freelance guide, a club activity, a peer-to-peer arrangement or an unregulated offer promoted online.

A clearer framework helps visitors ask better questions before booking. Is the company legally established? Are guides trained or accredited for the type of activity being sold? Does the provider explain the route, difficulty level, equipment, insurance and cancellation conditions? Does it monitor weather and official alerts? Does it have a plan for emergencies? Those questions are not bureaucratic details. In mountain, volcanic, coastal and rural environments, they can shape the quality and safety of the whole day.

Teide, protected landscapes and the pressure of popularity

Another major theme in the Los Realejos programme is the future management of Teide National Park and the regulation of natural spaces. This gives the conference a direct relevance for Tenerife visitors, because Teide is one of the most recognisable places in the Canary Islands and one of Spain's most important natural attractions.

Teide is not only a scenic landmark. It is a high-altitude volcanic landscape with sensitive habitats, changing weather conditions, heavy visitor demand and routes that require more planning than a casual beach walk. For many travellers, a day in Teide National Park is the highlight of a Tenerife holiday. For local authorities and tourism professionals, it is also a space where access, conservation, transport, visitor behaviour and safety have to be managed carefully.

The conference discussion matters because the challenge is no longer simply how to promote the park. Teide is already famous. The question is how to manage demand in a way that protects the place, supports well-run visitor experiences, and avoids avoidable risks. That can include how guided activity providers operate, how visitors are informed about route conditions, how mobility and parking pressure are handled, how emergency services prepare for incidents, and how tourism messaging encourages responsible behaviour.

The same logic applies across the archipelago. La Gomera's laurel forests, La Palma's volcanic landscapes, El Hierro's walking routes, Gran Canaria's ravines and summits, Lanzarote's volcanic fields and Fuerteventura's coastal and desert-like environments all attract visitors precisely because they feel distinctive. Their appeal depends on the quality of the landscape. If nature tourism grows without management, the product weakens. If it is over-restricted without alternatives, local businesses and visitors lose opportunities. The value lies in finding a workable middle path.

Climate alerts are becoming part of travel planning

The conference also includes the Canary Islands alert and emergency system, with adaptation to climate change as a specific focus. That theme is increasingly relevant to travel planning in the archipelago.

The islands have a mild year-round climate compared with many European destinations, but outdoor activities can still be affected by heat, wind, calima dust episodes, wildfire risk, rough seas, rain in mountain areas, landslides, high temperatures at altitude, or sudden changes that make a planned route unsuitable. Climate adaptation in tourism is not an abstract policy phrase when a guided walk, boat trip, cycling route or mountain excursion may depend on the conditions of the day.

For visitors, the practical lesson is simple: outdoor plans in the Canary Islands should be flexible. A reputable operator should be willing to change an itinerary, postpone an activity, use a safer route or cancel when official conditions require it. Travellers should treat that as a sign of professionalism, not as poor service. In a destination where many visitors arrive with fixed holiday dates and limited time, the temptation can be to press ahead. The better tourism model is one where safety decisions are respected.

This is especially important for independent travellers who do not book guided excursions. Many of the islands' most appealing walks and viewpoints are accessible without a guide, but that does not mean they are risk-free. Visitors should check official warnings, choose routes that match their fitness, carry water, avoid exposed routes during severe heat or wind, and remember that mobile coverage can vary in natural areas.

Los Realejos as a fitting host

Los Realejos is a natural setting for the discussion. The northern Tenerife municipality has built a strong association with nature tourism and outdoor experiences, including walking, rural tourism, scenic landscapes and well-known areas for paragliding such as the La Corona environment.

For travellers who usually associate Tenerife with the south coast resorts, Los Realejos also reflects a wider pattern in Canary Islands tourism: the growing interest in towns, rural areas and northern landscapes that offer a different rhythm from the main sun-and-beach zones. This does not mean resorts are losing importance. Rather, many visitors now combine beaches with inland viewpoints, cultural stops, forest walks, local restaurants, historic centres and guided experiences.

That mix is valuable for the destination because it spreads spending more widely and gives repeat visitors new reasons to return. It also demands better coordination. A traveller who books a rural stay, a guided walk and a Teide visit is moving across municipal, environmental, transport and safety systems. The smoother those systems work together, the better the visitor experience becomes.

What changes for tourists right now?

For most visitors, nothing changes immediately at the airport, hotel reception desk or beach promenade because of this conference. There is no new tourist tax announcement in this story, no entry requirement, no island-wide access ban and no general restriction on hiking or excursions.

The more useful takeaway is that the Canary Islands are paying closer attention to the quality and safety of their outdoor tourism economy. Travellers should expect a stronger emphasis on authorised operators, clearer information, responsible guiding, sustainability, emergency awareness and better adaptation to changing conditions.

Anyone booking an active holiday in the Canary Islands can use this moment as a reminder to choose carefully. Very cheap excursions, vague online listings, unclear meeting points, missing safety information or providers that appear unwilling to discuss weather and route difficulty should be treated with caution. A professional operator should be able to explain what is included, what experience level is required, what equipment is needed, what happens in bad weather, and what alternatives exist if conditions change.

For families, the key issue is matching activities to age, fitness and comfort. For older travellers, it may be about choosing shorter, well-supported routes or tours with clear transport arrangements. For experienced hikers and adventure travellers, the point is not to avoid challenge, but to understand that volcanic terrain, altitude, heat and wind can change the risk profile quickly.

Why tourism businesses will be watching

The business implications are also important. Active tourism and ecotourism companies in the Canary Islands are often small or medium-sized enterprises with deep local knowledge. They are part of the reason visitors can experience places beyond the standard resort circuit. A clearer regulatory environment can help serious operators stand out from unregulated competition, justify investment in training, and build trust with hotels, agencies and destination managers.

Hotels and accommodation providers also have a stake in the discussion. Many guests ask reception teams or concierge desks for recommendations on walks, excursions, viewpoints, stargazing, boat trips or adventure activities. The more transparent and professional the active-tourism sector becomes, the easier it is for accommodation businesses to guide visitors toward reliable providers.

Destination managers will be watching the balance between promotion and protection. The Canary Islands want visitors who explore, spend in local businesses and appreciate nature and culture, but the islands also face pressure in sensitive areas. Ecotourism only works if it is more than a label. It has to influence how groups are managed, how routes are chosen, how local communities benefit, and how visitors understand their own responsibilities.

A sign of where Canary Islands tourism is heading

The Los Realejos conference is not a mass-market holiday announcement, but it is a useful signal of where the Canary Islands tourism conversation is moving. The islands are not only discussing how many visitors arrive. They are also asking what visitors do, where they go, who benefits, how safe activities are, and how natural spaces are protected.

That shift matters for the FlyToCanarias audience because many travellers now want more than a hotel-and-beach itinerary. They want to know whether they can hike safely, whether guided excursions are trustworthy, whether protected areas are well managed, whether local operators are supported, and whether the destination is thinking seriously about climate and conservation.

The answer from this week's agenda is that active tourism and ecotourism are being treated as strategic parts of the Canary Islands visitor economy. The discussion in Tenerife brings together regulation, Teide management, emergency alerts, climate adaptation and the future of outdoor travel under one roof. That combination is exactly what a mature nature-tourism destination needs to address.

Planning advice for outdoor holidays in the Canary Islands

Travellers planning a Canary Islands holiday with outdoor activities should take a few practical steps. Choose licensed or clearly professional operators for guided activities. Read activity descriptions carefully, especially difficulty level, walking time, altitude, terrain and equipment. Build flexibility into the itinerary, particularly for mountain routes, boat trips and activities affected by wind or sea conditions. Check official weather and alert information before independent walks. Carry water, sun protection and appropriate footwear. Avoid treating social-media viewpoints as automatically safe or accessible.

Visitors should also remember that the best Canary Islands experiences are not always the most crowded ones. A guided local route, a smaller group excursion, a rural restaurant stop, a less obvious viewpoint or a cultural visit can often provide a richer experience than rushing between headline attractions. Responsible active tourism is not about making holidays less exciting. It is about making them better organised, safer and more respectful of the places people have travelled to see.

The conference in Los Realejos is therefore a timely development for Tenerife and the wider archipelago. It shows that the Canary Islands are continuing to professionalise a sector that has become central to modern holiday planning, especially for travellers drawn by volcanic landscapes, walking routes, stargazing, biodiversity and outdoor adventure.

For tourists already planning a trip, the message is reassuring rather than disruptive. The islands remain open for holidays, excursions and nature-based travel. The direction of policy is toward clearer rules, safer activities, better-managed natural spaces and a stronger role for professional local operators. For a destination whose appeal depends so heavily on its landscapes, that is a sensible direction of travel.