The Canary Islands are best known for their sandy beaches and vibrant nightlife. Yet while the islands’ remarkable natural diversity is often overlooked, it remains a significant draw for tourists, as a social media analysis by digital geography researchers at the University of Helsinki reveals.
The analysis covered 723,012 photographs of the Canary Islands published on Flickr between 2004 and 2020. A quarter were taken in conservation areas, and a third were captured in a natural setting.
“Many nature photos were shared from towns and cities too, and featured flowers, trees and animals. At the same time, selfies and posed photos accounted for the largest proportion of those taken in natural settings, underlining the social dimension of people’s visits to nature,” notes Doctoral Researcher Matti Hästbacka .
“The findings suggest that nature has an important role to play in tourism in the Canary Islands, well beyond the beaches,” says Professor Tuuli ToivonenOpens in a new tab , who led the study.
Most Flickr users had posted at least one photograph from a natural setting, although clear differences emerged between tourists from different countries. Nature beyond the beaches held more appeal for Central and Southern Europeans than for British or Nordic visitors, whose posts tended to focus on beaches and hotel areas.
The study formed part of the MOBICON project (Mobile Big Data for Understanding People in Nature) of the University of Helsinki’s Digital Geography Lab. The project examines both the recreational use of nature and nature-based travel using mobile data, with the Canary Islands being one of the areas studied. The islands’ natural environment is in many ways unique and highly sensitive.
“Digital footprints offer new insights into questions such as where and how tourists engage with nature, and how much this varies between nationalities. The information can be used to better target visitor guidance and conservation,” says Toivonen.
Article What’s there beyond the sun and the sea? Detecting tourists’ interest towards nature in a mass tourism destination using social media data was published in People and Nature journal.
People and Nature
Data/statistical analysis
People
What's there beyond the sun and the sea? Detecting tourists' interest towards nature in a mass tourism destination using social media data
29-Apr-2026