To be surprised Tenerife is overrun with tourists?

[Whenwillitgetwarm]

Have seen in the news that there are mass protests in Tenerife against tourists. There’s lots of graffiti on walls telling tourists to ‘get out!’ etc.

Personally I’m surprised it’s such a popular destination given how awful the place is.

It is hands down the worst place I’ve ever been in my life. I went over 20 years ago. Never again. The locals were the rudest people I’ve ever had the misfortune of meeting. There were lots of high rise hotels, the beaches weren’t nice. However, it’s the attitude of the locals towards tourists even back then that made me vow never go back. Tourists were treated like barely tolerated cash machines.

If you want winter sun, I recommend Cape Verde.

We visited Lanzarote in Jan 24, we definitely picked up on a hostile vibe from locals, on at least 5 separate occasions over the week, that we haven’t ever noticed before. Wouldn’t return right now or recommend. The protests are scary tbh. Goodness knows how this situation will escalate. We visited Greece in Oct 23, back to Greece in April 24. As a British tourist you feel welcome in Greece, especially at the IKOS, awesome resorts, excellent food and the service is unrivalled.

I have only heard negative reviews of Cape Verde, sadly.

Imagine being a local and having to put up with the stereotypical Brit who visits there.

No thanks

Sad to read all the negativity about Cape Verde, dh and I loved it!! We went to Boa Vista and went on 3 or 4 excursions, never got sand blasted, plenty of lovely time in the sun, had a couple of days at the hotel and walked from there along the beach and found a few local bars to have lunch and a few drinks. Also walked a few miles into the town, just really enjoyed our time there. In fairness if you wanted a party atmosphere you might have had to stick to the hotel entertainment but a few of the restaurants we went to in the evenings offered ‘classic Cape Verde style entertainment’ with singing/dancing/music etc but Dh and I had literally gone for a week of relaxation without the dc in mind.
Anyway, just chiming in to say we loved CV 😂

Cape Verde is beautiful but it's more like the Caribbean than the Canaries or the Balearics, as for people going back you must be joking there were people there in their 11th or 12th visit.

You went once 20 years ago and you think that qualifies you to run the whole island down.
😂

There are no nice old towns like you get in mainland Europe and it's a cultural desert.

Tell me you didn't leave the south coast without telling me you didn't leave the south coast.

There's a UNESCO world heritage old town in Tenerife for goodness sake!

Yes and the rise in Air B+B meaning places locals might have lived now being unavailable and /or too expensive

Hotels provide trade and employment - air b+b just rob rental properties

We have been to Teneriffe twice, Grand Canaria 3 times and Lanzarotte once.

I like them all and have never come across rude local people. It's usually the pissed up Brits who are rude!

Canarian food is lovely, and if you go up to the hills and away from the AI beach resorts, so is the countryside.
I say that as a big fan of AI holidays with little kids, but you need to do other things too.

I don't understand that either. I would hate AI! We like to explore and eat in locally-owned restaurants, and none of us would enjoy 7 days plonked beside a pool on a sunlounger and see nothing of my surroundings!

Cape Verde was an absolute hole. Brothel outside the 5* hotel with very very young girls working there, the reps said oh just cross the road and they'll stop calling over. Constant hassle and ag from locals who wanted to get money under any circumstances and looking at the place I can't blame them.

I wouldn't go to Tenerife again either but certainly wouldn't recommend CV

Just looked at Cape Verde .com and found this 😂😂😂
“Be aware of the time of the winds (Tempo das brisas) on the flat islands from October to July, from which especially surfers and kite surfers benefit, and the rainy season (Tempo das chuvas) in August and September.”

Love the interview this morning with one ex-pat immigrant moaning about people buying houses - the irony!

The Canaries' locals have had enough of mass tourism, simply because it's unsustainable for the islands.

If you don't get it, go on holidays to another country, or better yet, stay on your own.

I expect the locals in Cape Verde will eventually get pissed off about be priced out of housing too. Its happening everywhere now alas

I went 20-30 years ago with parents and they didn't like it and so hadn't been back. Have been now 4 times since we have had kids - it's come a long way! Some of the 4 & 5 star hotels are out of this world they are absolutely fantastic, can't say I will be hanging around Las Americas or Los Cristianos soon but there are plenty of lovely places.

Lots of over-touristed places now. Amsterdam, Lisbon, Lake District, Edinburgh, Kyoto, Dubrovnik etc etc.
Time for a surge/peak city tax model?

No way, I’ve been twice and went specifically because I am not a sunbed and souvenir type of holidaymaker. It has amazing hiking, stunning scenery up round the volcano and the centre of the island. You can do some great bike rides, go on whale watching boat trips, there is a rainforest, you can hike the Inferno Gorge which is a great experience.

It can be the opposite of a sunbed holiday if you have the ability to look beyond the package holidays.

We had a great time in February 1/2 term about 6 years ago when DD was 9. Everybody was friendly and helpful (and didn't laugh too much at my iffy Spanish).

We booked a (for us) cheap AI package in an apartment in Costa Adeje (so we had scope to cook food if it was dire- it was okay). We also had a free pass to Siam Park (which was what swung it with a water-mad child).

We took the opportunity to hire a car for a couple of days and head up north to the capital for Carnival for a couple of nights at a hotel school (so excellent food and service, if patient/understanding) and came back across snowy Mount Teide (it was looking hit and miss as to whether they would open the mountain and it was fun watching all the snowball fights and the anxious policemen).

There are definitely "nice" bits of Tenerife off-season but I would be sensitive to the Airbnb issues.

We used to go in the 1990s when I was a kid and went back in 2014 its okay for a cheap holiday in the sun a short flight away. Places like Turkey, Egypt and Morocco have better weather and all inclusive options now.

I agree. The Royal Hideway Corales is fab. There are some really lovely hotels in Tenerife. I went over 20 years ago and stayed in a shit hotel but that’s because I was a student and paid peanuts for the hotel. I didn’t let that put me off the whole island like the OP!

How does that work? Surely it’s not crowded if no one goes.

We go 3 times a year, love getting some winter sun in the short December days, due to go in a couple of weeks which will be a blessed relief from the awful weather at home…then another couple of weeks later in the summer.

I avoid the pissed up Sun reading knuckle draggers like the plague

However, it’s the attitude of the locals towards tourists even back then that made me vow never go back. Tourists were treated like barely tolerated cash machine

OP, you are so brazenly tone deaf it's sickening. The Canarians are protesting against the unsustainable tourism model and the degradation of housing, water supply, the landscape, the building of hotels on public land, the precariousness of work, unemployment and more. And all you care about is your holiday.

I used to think it wasn't nice, especially Playa. Then I went to Santa Cruz which is different.

Tenerife probably needs tourists though, now it's been reliant on the for 50 years or so.

But if you want a holiday on a plate with coaches, hotels etc well - it's going to be touristy!!!

Is that what makes a holiday on a plate? Coaches and hotels? Surely that's the bare minimum!