Tenerife Looking To Ban Smoking On Beaches

Visitors to Santa Cruz de Tenerife – the capital of the tourist hotspot island – could be banned from smoking on its beaches as the local council prepares a new bill.

The draft of the bill is expected to be ready between September and October 2020 and would represent the first regulations for bathing areas in the capital of the Spanish Balearic Island of Tenerife, Santa Cruz.

The new law would come into play at the beginning of 2021 and would regulate the use of beaches and everything related to the bathing areas of Santa Cruz.

The draft will propose sanctions and fines for those who fail to comply with the proposed regulations that will include the prohibition of smoking on all the beaches in the municipality.

The Councilor for the Environment and Security, Evelyn Alonso, told the Spanish newspaper El Dia that her department’s priorities are to protect the environment and promote smoke-free spaces.

She said: “One of the proposals that we want to incorporate into the new ordinance is the regulation of the smoking ban in all bathing areas of the municipality”.

The public official also said that they are evaluating establishing a small space on the beach reserved for smokers.

However, Alonso said to the same newspaper that the priority of the city council authorities is to free the beaches of smoke.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife has five beaches.

Alonso also indicated to the same newspaper that pets, especially dogs, could also be restricted on beaches.

The draft of the new law will include a permanent prohibition of dogs on Las Teresitas beach. However, for the other beaches such as Las Gaviotas and Almaciga, it is possible that dogs would be allowed onto the sand and in the water in low season and at certain time slots.

With these measures, the beaches of Santa Cruz de Tenerife would be added to the 179 smoke-free beaches that exist throughout Spain.

Tenerife is one of the seven Canary Islands located 850 kilometres (528 miles) south of the Spanish peninsula.