Residents and business owners in Masca, one of Tenerife’s most visited natural attractions, are protesting against possible future restrictions on private vehicles, warning that limiting access to the famous mountain village and valley could have devastating consequences for the people who live and work there.
Protest banners have appeared around the hamlet after its access road was closed to private traffic for ten days during August. However, that closure was introduced by the Tenerife Cabildo as a temporary safety measure because of extreme heat and the heightened risk of wildfires, amid concerns that heavy traffic could prevent emergency vehicles from reaching the area quickly.
Residents now fear that similar closures could become more frequent or eventually form part of longer-term plans to control the huge number of tourists visiting Masca.
Located in the municipality of Buenavista del Norte on the west coast of the island, Masca is reportedly the second most visited natural attraction in Tenerife after Teide National Park, despite having a permanent population of only around 80 to 100 people.
Businesses say August closure hit them hard
The village's restaurants, bars, accommodation providers and small shops rely heavily on visitors, and local business owners say the ten-day closure in August caused a significant fall in trade.
Their concern is that environmental and heritage protection measures designed to preserve Masca could ultimately make it increasingly difficult for the community itself to survive.
Some of the protest banners refer to the management plan for the Teno Rural Park (PRUG) and Masca's protected heritage status.
One resident told the Spanish press that authorities risk protecting the physical village while forgetting the people who actually live there and keep it functioning.
Javier Díaz, secretary of the Barranco de Masca residents' association, says locals fear increasingly strict controls similar to those being introduced at other heavily visited areas of Tenerife, including Teide and Anaga.
"If the road closes, Masca dies"
Díaz said the impact of the August restrictions was immediately noticeable, warning that if road closures became commonplace, local businesses could become unsustainable, saying: "If the road is closed, Masca dies."
Residents argue that the real problem is not simply the number of visitors, but infrastructure that has failed to keep pace with modern tourism.
The spectacular but narrow and winding TF-436 road regularly becomes congested, particularly when large vehicles, coaches, public buses and hire cars meet on restricted sections.
Residents are calling for improvements including strengthened slopes, additional passing places and even traffic lights at particularly difficult sections.
They also argue that modern tourist vehicles are considerably larger than those using the road when it was last substantially adapted decades ago.
Protest banners along the road at Masca Valley (Image: Álvaro Morales).
Complaints about the Masca Gorge
There is also frustration surrounding access to the famous Masca Gorge. Díaz says residents want greater involvement in managing their own area and argues that too many decisions affecting Masca are being taken elsewhere.
He also criticised the current system for visiting the gorge, claiming it has discouraged Canary Islands residents and families from visiting.
Visitors descending the gorge currently finish at Masca beach, where onward transport arrangements are necessary, adding further costs to the experience.
Cabildo promises talks with residents
The Tenerife Cabildo says TITSA has reinforced the smaller bus services serving Masca when shuttle transport has been required.
The island authority has also agreed to hold another meeting with residents during September to discuss possible improvements, including new bus stops and passing places along the road.
These are among the measures residents believe could help ease congestion without preventing private vehicles from reaching the village.
Buenavista mayor: "The idea is not to close Masca"
Buenavista del Norte mayor Eva García has also stressed that the objective is not to permanently close Masca, but to find a safer way of controlling the enormous flow of tourists into such a geographically restricted area.
She explained that following a wildfire in early July, Civil Protection produced a report for the Cabildo's security department. This contributed to the decision to impose the ten-day restriction during August's extreme heat.
The council therefore could not oppose the temporary closure on safety grounds.
García said greater use of public transport would be necessary but insisted: "The idea is not to close Masca, but to control the tourist flow."
The council would like to see a park-and-ride facility created in El Palmar, which could serve visitors travelling towards both Masca and Teno Alto.
It has also called for fewer large coaches and other oversized vehicles to use the route and says financial assistance has been proposed for residents when safety-related closures are necessary.
Banner outside bar/restaurant in Masca (Image: Álvaro Morales).
Tourism versus protecting Masca
The dispute highlights the increasingly difficult balance Tenerife faces between protecting its most sensitive natural areas, managing huge numbers of visitors and ensuring that the people who actually live in these locations are not pushed out economically.
Masca's dramatic scenery has made it one of Tenerife's most recognisable images around the world, but its popularity also contributes to serious congestion on a road never designed to handle today's volume and size of tourist traffic.
Residents have decided to leave their protest banners in place so visitors can see their concerns.
Their message is that protecting Masca must mean protecting its community as well as its landscape.
For the authorities, the challenge will be finding a solution that improves safety and controls overcrowding without cutting off the visitors upon whom many of Masca's businesses depend.
