The most popular of the Canary Islands, Tenerife attracts millions of Brits each winter.
With a pair of sunglasses, the latest John Grisham novel, and a tote bag full of crisps in tow, many families will likely spend their week abroad at the beach.
But disobey the island’s latest rules, and you might just find yourself travelling home with a bit of extra baggage — specifically, a £2,500 fine.
On October 7, La Laguna City Council passed a series of motions to protect the region’s coastline.
Camping, overnight stays, littering, smoking and playing loud music are among the activities targeted by the new restrictions.
Located in the north of the island, popular spots including Bajamar beach, La Barranquera, and Jover, all fall under the council’s jurisdiction.
But one element, which covers all the beaches and natural pools on the coast of the municipality, may come as a blow to anyone with an extensive hair care routine.
All visitors will be prohibited from using soap, shampoo, or other hygiene products in public showers and bathing areas.
Tenerife isn’t, of course, the first place to take a harder stance on this.
Across Europe, local councils are desperately trying to protect the surrounding environment while catering to the huge tourist population.
In Andalusia, authorities have installed a ‘smart shower’, which costs up to 86p per one-minute session to reduce water consumption.
And in Italy, anyone caught leaving their personal belongings on the beach overnight will be slapped with a £425 fine.
According to Spanish media, La Laguna City Council has described the ban as a ‘fundamental tool’ to increase the protection of these spaces.
While the clampdown may come as a surprise to Brits, locals will know that this was just a matter of time.
Tenerife is currently undergoing a massive effort to clean up its coastline — dedicating £70m to reverse significant damage.
The island’s 31 municipalities have banded together to create ‘zero waste’ on the island.
Over the past few years, residents in Tenerife have shared videos online documenting their efforts to clean up the island’s beaches, highlighting the scale of the pollution problem.
In 2023, tourist hotspot Playa De Las Americas was singled out for being notoriously messy and dirty.
And just a few weeks ago, one user @pititaramos, claimed on TikTok that some of Tenerife’s beaches were contaminated with human faeces.
Each year, cologistas en Acción (Ecologists in Action) reveal their rankings of the Spanish beaches in the most serious environmental conditions.
As part of this report, they hand out 48 black flags to beaches it believes are polluted or have poor environmental management.
The organisation’s 2025 report awarded Tenerife two black flags, one of which went to Playa Jardín, an incredibly popular urban beach with black volcanic sand located in Puerto de la Cruz.
Failing a number of environmental tests, the beach was found to be ‘polluted from wastewater discharges’ due to the poor management of waste infrastructure.
