The Canary Islands had 18.39 million visitors in 2025. That is a record. And when the government sat down to think about what that volume means for the environment and for local communities, they did not reach for the mandatory-levy route that other overstretched European destinations have gone down. They built something voluntary instead. It is called REGNEXT, and it launched on 1 July 2026.
What’s Happening at REGNEXT
REGNEXT stands for the Canary Islands Tourism Regeneration and Nature Restoration Fund, launched on 1 July 2026 by the Canary Islands government in partnership with the UK Spanish Tourist Office. The timing matters: 18.39 million tourists visited the islands in 2025, a record figure, and the conversation about what that kind of volume means for local environments and communities has been growing louder.
“REGNEXT has been created to make tourism an active force for environmental and social regeneration,” said Jessica de León, Minister of Tourism for the Canary Islands.
The scheme covers all seven islands: Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro. Donations go online, directed toward specific pilot schemes rather than into a general pot.
A Closer Look
So what does the money go toward? The fund targets habitat restoration, biodiversity conservation, emissions reduction, climate adaptation, landscape improvement and affordable housing. Affordable housing is in that list, which tells you something about what this is genuinely trying to solve. The Canaries have had a record year and they know it has costs for people who live there year-round. This is not a PR fund. It is a response to something real.
Crucially, the biggest operators in the UK market are behind it. easyJet Holidays, Jet2.com, Jet2holidays and TUI are all named partners, which suggests the scheme has a genuine distribution route, not a quiet website button that nobody presses.
For Client Chats
Here is where this becomes useful to have in your back pocket. More clients are asking questions before they book: about carbon footprint, about local impact, about whether their holiday contributes to or extracts from the places they visit. REGNEXT is a clear, straightforward answer to that kind of question.
It is also genuinely different from other tourist-levy schemes in that participation is a choice. A client who wants to donate can. A client who does not want to is not penalised. That is a more comfortable conversation than explaining a mandatory charge that appeared on the invoice without much warning.
The Helpful Bit for Winter Sun
The Canary Islands remain one of the most reliable year-round destinations for UK travellers, and winter bookings in particular tend to attract clients who have done their research. The kind of traveller who asks about sustainability before booking is often the kind of traveller who prefers to book with an agent rather than take a punt online.
Having a clear, confident answer to the REGNEXT question, knowing what it is, how it works and which operators support it, puts you ahead of any client who has read about it and not yet understood it. That is a small edge, but it is the sort of thing that builds trust across a relationship.
The Independent covered the story on 1 July 2026. Worth reading in full before your next Canaries conversation.
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Sophie Skies reports daily on the news that matters for UK travel agents.
