Regenerative Tourism Award 2025

Ecotouristing Ideas Regenerativas has been awarded the Regenerative Tourism Prize at the Traveling For Happiness 2025 awards by Anaga Biofest, an initiative that uses tourism as an active tool for environmental restoration and community strengthening in the Anaga Massif Biosphere Reserve, Tenerife.

Anaga Biofest does not merely apply sustainability criteria, but actively contributes to the revitalization of the territory in order to give back more to the environment than it consumes. The project integrates ecological conservation, revitalization of the local economy, and citizen participation, creating a tangible positive impact on the ecosystem and the community that inhabits it.

Environmental restoration and direct action in the territory

Since its first edition in 2021, Anaga Biofest has carried out more than 30 specific environmental restoration and education initiatives. These include the installation of nesting boxes for endemic birds, the creation of pollinator islands, the cleaning and restoration of trails and coastal areas, as well as land stewardship and traditional farm restoration projects.

More than 400 volunteers have actively participated in these initiatives, strengthening the bond between visitors and the natural environment. In 2025, the project implemented a carbon footprint compensation plan in conjunction with the Canary Islands Tourism Board's "Journey to Decarbonization," incorporating participatory reforestation and training in soil regeneration practices. In addition, it will feature its own digital tool, "Anaga RegenerarAPP," which will allow participants to get involved in measuring, reducing, and offsetting their environmental impact.

Community, participation, and territorial roots

One of the distinguishing features of the project is its model of co-creation with the local community. More than 150 activities have involved the direct participation of neighborhood associations, groups at risk of social exclusion, and educational centers such as the CER Anaga Unitary Schools, promoting the preservation of traditional knowledge and intergenerational connection.

By not concentrating on a single space and being present in more than 15 locations in the massif, it helps to redistribute flows and reinforce the rural identity of the territory, guaranteeing inclusive, accessible, and egalitarian proposals. In its latest edition, it achieved a positive average rating, with 92% of participants expressing their intention to return.

Recognized in 2022 by UNESCO's MaB Program for its commitment to sustainable economic and social development, Anaga Biofest has established itself as an operational tool for territorial management that can be transferred to other contexts. Its inter-island dimension and twinning with other Biosphere Reserves in the Canary Islands reinforce its strategic projection.

Anaga Biofest demonstrates that tourism can become a driver of ecological restoration, social cohesion, and responsible economic development, transforming the relationship between visitors and the region through a participatory, long-term approach.