News from Tenerife (#16) appears every week as a brief news overview of the past week on your favorite website.
In this series, we publish a number of events and news facts from the past week. Each article in News from Tenerife is a synthesis of various facts, actions, and occurrences that are too brief to be presented as a full article.
A Cluster of 14 Earthquakes in Vilaflor
News from Tenerife #16/1
This past week, Vilaflor, the highest inhabited municipality in Spain, experienced a series of 14 earthquakes. The National Geographic Institute (IGN) recorded these earthquakes between Tuesday evening (21-01) and Wednesday morning (22-01-2025) in the municipality located at 1,400 meters above sea level. The magnitude of these earthquakes, which were not felt by residents, ranged between 0.6 mbLg (the lowest) and 1.5 mbLg (the highest), at depths of 3 to 13 kilometers.
The director of the IGN in the Canary Islands, Itahiza Domínguez, stated that this is an area where significant seismic activity was observed in 2017. Since then, isolated earthquakes have occasionally been recorded. Regarding this new seismic series, Domínguez noted that it attracts attention but is not alarming, as the earthquakes are very small and imperceptible to the population.
Worrying events would involve earthquakes of greater magnitude and longer duration. However, the IGN continues to monitor any new earthquakes in the area. In 2017, two seismic swarms were recorded in Vilaflor: one in June, with a series of more than 12 low-magnitude earthquakes near the western edge of Las Cañadas del Teide, and another in October, with 22 quakes, the largest of which had a magnitude of 2.0 mbLg.
Complaints About Drones
News from Tenerife #16/2
Another complaint has been filed regarding the unauthorized use of a drone in a protected area of Tenerife, a practice that is strictly prohibited. Environmental agents identified a man operating a drone without permission in the Special Nature Reserve of Chinyero.
The Association of Forest and Environmental Agents reminded the public via the social network X (formerly Twitter) that “the use of drones must comply with sectoral and environmental regulations.” This means drones can only be operated in protected natural areas on the island with specific authorization, which can be requested through the electronic portal of the Cabildo de Tenerife.
The use of drones in areas of high natural value in the Canary Islands, and in Spain in general, is regulated to prevent damage to flora and fauna, as well as to protect sensitive areas near airports and air traffic operations. As in the rest of the country, recreational drone use is prohibited in national parks, wildlife conservation zones, biosphere reserves, and other protected natural areas.
Improper use of such devices can, for example, cause fires. This happened in October last year on Tenerife, when environmental agents identified the owner of a drone used on June 29, 2024, in a protected area without permission, which led to the start of a fire in Buenavista del Norte within the Teno Rural Park.
Santa Cruz Explores Alternative Locations for the Nuestra Señora de África Market
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The municipality of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has agreed with the traders of the city’s Rastro market that they may propose new feasible locations near the current site. These proposals will be evaluated by the municipality until the week of February 9. If no suitable locations are found, the Rastro activity will be moved to the Avenida Marítima.
In a statement this Saturday, the municipality expressed its commitment to maintaining the Rastro’s activity. Described as being of great economic and cultural importance for the city, the market comprises 400 stalls. However, the municipality emphasized that the location must meet all required safety standards.
The municipality reminded that safety issues at the current location, near the Nuestra Señora de África market, have been raised multiple times. On November 6, the activity was temporarily suspended due to these problems. After a meeting held on the same date, it was decided to allow the market activity to continue until January 6, so as not to disrupt Christmas sales, while working towards a definitive solution.
Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez emphasized that the Rastro is a traditional and essential activity for many families in our city, and the municipality is therefore committed to ensuring its continuity, but always within a framework that guarantees the safety of all involved.
This year, tents will be acquired to improve the aesthetics of the stalls. Additionally, the ordinance will be adjusted to align operating hours with the needs of the vendors. If the Rastro is ultimately relocated to Avenida Marítima, every effort will be made to ensure that its visibility and visitor numbers remain as high as on any other Sunday.
Pope Francis Wants to Visit the Canary Islands
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Pope Francis has praised the work carried out by the dioceses in the Canary Islands and has once again expressed his interest in traveling to the archipelago. He shared this over the weekend in Rome with the auxiliary bishop of the province of Las Palmas, Cristóbal Déniz.
Déniz explained that it was a brief meeting with communication specialists, during which they had the opportunity to personally greet the Pope. He took the opportunity to thank the Pope for the affection he shows for the Canary Islands and how he keeps them in mind. The Pope, in turn, praised the work of the two dioceses on the islands.
Déniz recalled that during Francis’s trip to Asia, in a conversation with journalists, he publicly expressed his desire to travel to the Canary Islands.
Francis stated during the press conference on his return trip from his tour of Asia and Oceania on September 13: “I am considering traveling to the Canary Islands because of the situation with the migrants arriving there by sea. I want to stand in solidarity with the authorities and the people of the Canary Islands.”
For Déniz, a visit from the Pope would be warmly welcomed by the people of the islands. It would place the Canary Islands on the map as a priority within both national and international politics. The president of the Canary Islands government, Fernando Clavijo, sent a letter to the Pope last September to thank him for his interest in visiting the islands and to draw attention to the migration crisis. In March last year, Clavijo traveled to the Vatican to personally inform the Pope about the humanitarian emergency surrounding the migration route to the Canary Islands.
165 Cruise Ships in Santa Cruz During the First Four Months of 2025
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Unlike ports such as those in the Balearic Islands or Amsterdam, the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has no restrictions on the number of cruise ships that can dock per day. Between January 28 and April 28, 2025, Santa Cruz de Tenerife will welcome 165 cruise ships with a combined capacity of 201,629 passengers, according to the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Unlike ports such as Palma in the Balearic Islands, where docking is limited to three ships per day—only one of which may carry more than 5,000 passengers to prevent overcrowding and environmental issues—Santa Cruz imposes no such restrictions. This also applies to other ports in the Canary Islands.
While the cruise season officially begins in October, the first four months of 2025 will see prestigious ships like the Queen Mary 2, MSC Opera, Celebrity Infinity, Azura, and La Belle des Oceans dock at Santa Cruz, according to the city council.
March is expected to be the busiest month, with 55 cruise ships arriving, followed by April with 51 ships docking. In the last week of March alone, 19 cruise ships are set to arrive.
Carmen Pérez, managing director of the Sociedad de Desarrollo, emphasized that the city is preparing for the arrival of the many cruise passengers. The arrival of these cruise ships was discussed in the municipality’s Interdepartmental Tourism Commission. Here, various tourism-related aspects, such as improvements in safety, cleaning, and mobility during high-traffic cruise days, were addressed. Moreover, the goal is to maintain effective coordination among the various involved parties to provide optimal service.
These events and developments significantly impact life on Tenerife and illustrate the diversity of challenges, developments, and opportunities the island faces.
News from Tenerife continues to bring you the most relevant stories from the island.
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News from Tenerife #16 ©
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