Arona Police Intensify Crackdown on Illegal Street Vendors in Tourist Hubs
Arona City Council has established a permanent police surveillance unit to crack down on unlicensed street vending in its primary tourist hubs, conducting over 300 interventions so far this year to protect local businesses and maintain public order.
Arona City Council has made managing public spaces a top priority, stepping up efforts to crack down on unlicensed street vendors in its busiest tourist areas. To tackle the issue, local police have set up a permanent surveillance unit in Las Américas and Los Cristianos, the municipality’s two main hubs for tourism and business.
So far in 2025, police have carried out 320 interventions. The majority of these—231—took place in Las Américas, while 89 occurred in Los Cristianos. This enforcement continued last weekend with a targeted operation on the "Golden Mile," a popular shopping area where officers seized various items being sold illegally.
Héctor Reyes, the Councilor for Local Police, explained that these measures are necessary to protect legitimate businesses that follow the law. The council argues that unlicensed stalls create unfair competition, harm the destination's reputation, and cause public disruption. By maintaining a constant police presence, the council aims to deter illegal street trading and ensure public spaces remain orderly.
Like many major tourist destinations in Spain, Arona faces the ongoing challenge of balancing the needs of regulated small businesses—which pay taxes and follow strict rules—with the management of public land. The council plans to keep this enforcement strategy in place, focusing on high-density commercial areas to ensure that public spaces are used in accordance with local laws and do not disrupt the local economy.