Volcanic areas create spectacular landscapes that contain a great diversity of geoheritage. The study of this geoheritage enables us to inventory, characterise, protect and manage its geodiversity. The Canary Islands are a group of subtropical active volcanic oceanic islands with a great variety of magma types and eruption dynamics that give rise to a wide diversity of volcanic features and processes. The aim of this paper is to identify, for the first time, the diversity of volcanic geoheritage of the Canary Islands and to appraise the protection thereof. To this end, a geomorphological classification is proposed, taking into account the features and processes directly related to volcanism, such as those resulting from erosion and sedimentary processes. The main findings demonstrate that the volcanic geoheritage of the Canary Islands is extremely varied and that this geodiversity is safeguarded by regional, national and, international protection and management frameworks. Even so, and given the enormous pressure of coastal tourism on the coastlines of the islands, we believe that continuing efforts should be made to conserve and manage their volcanic and non-volcanic geoheritage, so that these places can continue to be enjoyed in the form of geotourism.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) stated that “sun and beach” tourist destinations needed to direct more resources towards innovation, sustainability and accessibility. This is related to the crisis that many sun and beach tourist destinations are experiencing. In the Canary Islands, changes to legislation together with urban and tourist products have been made in accordance with UNWTO proposals. For many years the island of La Palma has been offering tourists hiking, stargazing and volcano tourism besides “sun and beach holidays”. However, the 2021 eruption of Tajogaite, Cumbre Vieja aggravated the island’s tourism crisis and caused very negative effects on the economy. This work identifies, selects and characterizes places of interest for geotourism development in the two largest population centers (Santa Cruz de La Palma and Los Llanos de Aridane). Santa Cruz de La Palma has 20 points of interest; Los Llanos de Aridane has 14. All sites contribute to showcasing the diversity of the natural and cultural volcanic and non-volcanic heritage of the regions. The geotourism product in La Palma is relatively new and exploits the topography present, including natural outcrops (cinder cones, lava fields, ravines, cliffs, sedimentary deposits or beaches), and also the cultural heritage (religious and civil architecture, streets or town planning, planes). These proposals for urban geotourism take advantage of the volcanic geoheritage of La Palma and increase the breadth and quality of tourism on offer.

In the Canary Islands, sixteen historical eruptions have been documented in Lanzarote, Tenerife, El Hierro, and La Palma. The latest eruption, the Tajogaite eruption, occurred in 2021 in La Palma and the richness and diversity of the natural and cultural heritage associated with this eruption can be a valuable resource for attracting visitors and tourists. The main aim of this work is to select sites of geotourist interest (SGIs) in order to create geo-itineraries. The methodology used is based on fieldwork and drone flight videos and photos taken during and after the eruption. Sixteen SGIs have been selected and studied. Eleven sites represent the geo-heritage of the Tajogaite eruption and seven sites are related to the surrounding natural and rural landscapes. In the near future, geo-itineraries (for in-person and virtual visits) will be created for visitors to La Palma and for the interested online audience.

Volcanic landscapes offer a multitude of resources to the communities that live within them. However, the main attraction that volcanoes offer is associated with volcanic heritage and geotourism. The scope of this project is to create and promote emerging geotouristic products through the empowerment of volcano tourism and thus contribute to strengthening the economic and business fabric of the volcanic island of Tenerife (Spain). In Tenerife, this great geodiversity includes the stravolcanoes, shield volcanoes, calderas, cinder cones, maars, tuff cones and rings, and lava fields, all exposed beautifully in cliffs, ravines, beaches, deposits, etc. The main activities of the project associated with the documentation and quantification of the conservation values of the volcanic heritage are the following: production of a documentary on the volcanic geoheritage of Teide volcano, selection of the top 50 sites of geotouristic interest, creation of urban geotourism itineraries, recreation of the itinerary of Alexander von Humboldt, and creation of a web page for the project. This project will deliver an essential resource needed to diversify the leisure activities offered in Tenerife through the volcanic heritage and geotourism. It quantifies the best that Tenerife can uniquely offer and highlights it in a globally accessible and perpetual manner.

The aim of this study is to assess the importance of geotourism before, during and after the eruption of the Tajogaite Volcano (September to December 2021) on La Palma, Spain. The methodology applied consisted of identifying the geotourism products on the island before the eruption, the importance of the volcano for geotourism – by means of a survey – and the geotourism products developed after the eruption. The findings show that, before the eruption, La Palma's tourism products (hiking, archaeology, stargazing and volcano tourism) were closely related to its volcanic heritage. During the eruption, Tajogaite became a tourist attraction for the island, drawing thousands of visitors and scientists. Lastly, now that the eruption has ended, geotourism is playing a key role in the various island recovery plans through the evaluation of sites of geotourism interest and the design of geotrails in natural and urban areas.