The Maspalomas dunes nature reserve on the Canary Islands is ordinarily a tranquil place. But when social media influencers decided to organise a treasure hunt there, chaos descended on Gran Canaria.
Spanish authorities are now investigating an “assault” on a protected sand dune after hordes of people with spades dug it up while hunting for a hidden €1,000 “treasure trove”.
The crowds descended on the nature reserve in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, in the south of Gran Canaria island on Saturday.
The invasion, as local media called it, took place after a group of influencers posted a video that went viral on social networks that said: “Let’s go for the €1,000!” With this rallying cry people gathered to search for a briefcase containing the cash that the influencers had hidden in the dune in a promotional stunt for a concert.
“We have been given €1,000 for the promotion of the event, and instead of burning it in TV commercials we are going to hide them around the island,” the promotional video said. “The first person to find it gets to keep it.”
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Gran Canaria council has opened an investigation and is drafting a report that will be sent to the prosecutors over a possible environmental crime. The company in charge of promoting the concert is also being investigated.
The company organising the concert, DN7 Festival, hired a group of social media activists to promote the event on social networks. They are accused of failing to take into account that the reserve is a protected area with a unique and very fragile ecosystem inhabited by rare flora and fauna.
Such controversies have become frequent in recent years, fuelled by the desire for fame on social media or as part of publicity stunts. In December an athlete provoked another wave of indignation after images of her running outside the marked perimeter at the Volcán de la Corona in the north of Lanzarote were published. In 2022 a group of tourists caught bathing in the island’s Los Jameos del Agua volcanic park caused controversy.
