For tourists, in the months prior to a vacation trip, social networks become a focus of information, advice and recommendations about the destination. Among the millions of videos published on TikTok, one of the most used applications in recent years, more than 58,000 have been located in Lanzarote.
Most of them show the routines of visitors, the places where they eat or the beaches where they bathe. The way of traveling has changed and the rise of tourism and the role of social networks make them become "essential" spaces on the island that were not even on the radar of the local population. This leads to problems for the island authorities who must manage these unexpected flows of travelers, with new points of massification.
The impact of networks was already measured with the leaning palm tree of Testeina, in Masdache, which ended up being cut down after suffering a vandal attack after becoming the target of tourists who came to the place daily to take a photo with this Canary palm tree.
This situation has also been aggravated with Las Grietas, a space located on the road between San Bartolomé and Tías, which has involved the mobilization of emergency resources on several occasions to rescue hikers who suffer falls in the area and has forced the council to take measures so that the parked vehicles of tourists do not occupy the road.
The mayor of Tías, José Juan Cruz, even announced last February that they would commission a study to see if it is safe to transit through this space. For the moment, the Area of Classified Activities and Heritage has placed "signs warning of the danger of transit through this area, which is being studied by a team of experts", according to sources from the consistory to La Voz.
"The opinions and recommendations obtained through social networks, especially the reviews in videos," imply a "faster" dissemination than by other means and forces destinations to "prepare better" after "becoming suddenly popular", exposes the research The TikTok effect on destination development: Famous overnight now what?, published in the Elsevier publishing house.
These reviews on social networks "awaken interest in particular places" and are increasingly significant for travelers when choosing a vacation destination or another. This opportunity is being taken advantage of by "many destinations, which are nourished by content creators to attract visitors".
The problem arises when the pressure of visitors that is received is "excessive" and occurs on spaces or places that "are not popular" or are "unknown" and to which this tourist massification catches them "unprepared" and without adequate preparation. An example of this is that this viralization in networks has led a large brand of technology to use Las Grietas as a set to announce one of its latest mobiles. Meanwhile, the consistory rejects the proposals of different companies to shoot spots in the same space.
"In general, the phenomenon can be created by social media influencers on request (with a previously prepared plan) and other times by accident (when the creator chooses the place on their own to gain popularity)," the research continues. The study highlights that, until now, the "implication and impact" that the viralization of protected spaces has on social networks has not been analyzed.
The case of China, not so far from Lanzarote
The aforementioned research analyzes the role of TikTok and several videos that went viral through the platform with "the rapid increase of daily visitors" to the Tropical Rainforest National Park on Hainan Island, in China. In this case, it gives the example of a viral video, with more than 65,000 'likes,' about the "magnificent sunrise and sea of clouds" from the main peak of Jianfengling. This video made the National Park become "a hot destination overnight".
"Inspired by the video, tourists flocked to visit the main peak of the National Park. Initially, local offices did not pay much attention to this sudden influx. Consequently, poor management and the abrupt growth of tourists created problems," the report highlights. Another video on TikTok of another place on the Chinese island led local agencies to "create tours that connected the peak of Jianfengling with another space on the island." Thus, "local authorities related to tourism and nature conservation overlooked the opportunities that this phenomenon had created."
"Tik Tok impacted these two destinations in a positive and also negative way. While tourists helped to increase the economic situation, they also caused traffic congestion, overcrowding and pollution, putting pressure on existing infrastructures," the study indicates.
The popularity of these destinations and the lack of public transport infrastructure to connect it, made the space full of private vehicles and motorcycles, with difficulties for tourist buses. As happens in other places of interest in Lanzarote, such as El Charco Verde, the Volcán de El Cuervo or a good part of the Art Centers, where the lack of public transport pushes tourists to prioritize private vehicles and crowd their parking lots.
This research considers in the case of China creating "a scheduled transport system" to connect "popular sites" within the national park and a ticket sales system in which the load capacity is taken into account.
The document proposes that "the interested parties", especially the municipal and provincial authorities, non-governmental organizations, actors in the hotel and tourism industry and the residents collaborate to tackle this situation and find the appropriate solutions for each space. So that these phenomena are resolved taking into account regional interests at the national level and "maximizing the profitability of local companies", giving a regional image "homogeneous and sustainable".
In addition, it highlights the importance of "taking care of the image of destinations on social networks." At the same time, it warns of the relevance of facing this popularity on social networks and that the "lack of understanding, knowledge and preparation" can create "problems", such as the lack of infrastructure.
To conclude, it states that "communities must align with the Sustainable Development Goals" of the United Nations and that, despite the fact that a commitment is made to "extensive advertising," "conservation efforts" should not be "sacrificed."