Dozens of environmental activists gathered outside a luxury hotel in the south of Tenerife on Saturday, calling for an immediate halt to a major tourism development they claim is causing irreversible damage to the island.
Around 150 demonstrators, according to organisers from the campaign group Salvar El Puertito, protested outside the Baobab Suites Hotel in Costa Adeje. The hotel is owned by Belgian developer Filip Hoste, the businessman behind the controversial Cuna del Alma project.
The protest aimed to send a message directly to the hotel's guests, urging them not to support businesses "contributing to the destruction of the island".
What Is Cuna del Alma?
Cuna del Alma is a large-scale tourism development already under construction in the small coastal area of El Puertito de Adeje, in the south of Tenerife. The project includes plans for 420 luxury villas located between two protected natural areas and on land designated as a site of National Geological Interest.
Campaigners argue that the development is not only environmentally damaging but also riddled with legal and planning irregularities.
“This project never should have been approved,” a spokesperson said. “It’s being built in a highly sensitive area, and authorities are turning a blind eye.”
Fresh Legal Challenges
Activists claim that the developers failed to disclose the presence of over ten protected species in the area, and allege a conflict of interest involving the biologist who conducted the project's environmental assessment, reportedly also an official at Adeje’s local council.
The project has also faced scrutiny for allegedly bypassing a formal environmental impact assessment and for what campaigners describe as the illegal expropriation of a historic property belonging to a local family.
A fine initially imposed on the developers for the destruction of an archaeological site was also reportedly reduced from €600,000 to just €228,000 — a move that has further fuelled public anger.
Protest Escalates
Saturday’s demonstration moved from the hotel to the nearby headquarters of Andreas & Partners, another of Hoste’s companies involved in the marketing and sale of the villas.
“We won’t stop until this project is permanently shut down,” organisers said during the protest.
They point to previous successes, including a temporary halt to the project in 2022 following public outcry and legal pressure. But construction resumed after the regional elections and the return of Fernando Clavijo as the President of the Canary Islands.
The latest legal challenge involves the relocation of viborina triste, an endangered plant species, which has sparked a new court case against the Adeje council.
Growing Movement
The demonstration is part of a broader environmental movement across the Canary Islands, where residents have been pushing back against overdevelopment and mass tourism.
Following the large-scale protests in April 2024 when tens of thousands marched in the Canary Islands, mainland Spain and Germany, activists say momentum is only building.
“There are protests against sewage discharges, mass tourism in Teide National Park, and now this. We will not stop,” said a spokesperson for Salvar El Puertito.
