Tenerife South Marks 40 Years as Premier Tourist Destination

The south of Tenerife is celebrating 40 years as the island's top tourist destination. For four decades, it has welcomed more hotel and apartment guests than Puerto de la Cruz, which was a very popular spot for Spanish and European tourists in the 1960s and 70s.

1986 was a key year. From then on, the south of the island, with its newer hotels and almost constant sunshine, saw its visitor numbers steadily increase.

That same year, while Maradona led Argentina to World Cup glory in Mexico, Europe was gripped by fear after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and people worldwide watched Halley's Comet pass by. Amidst this, and the rise of mass tourism, the industry started to focus more on Tenerife's south.

The south began to benefit from its new resorts, which were built for modern tourists. These resorts often had large shared spaces, sometimes inspired by Caribbean hotels.

In 1986, 1,983,786 tourists arrived in Tenerife. Of these, 832,887 went to the north, while 962,410 chose the south. These figures come from AENA and the Cabildo, and were published in "El turismo en Canarias," a detailed study by Canary Islands researchers.

The groundwork for the south's tourism success started much earlier with two big projects: the Southern Highway, championed by Cabildo president José Miguel Galván Bello, and Reina Sofía Airport. The airport opened the door for charter flights bringing European tourists. Catalan developers Rafael Puig Lluvina and his son Santiago were also vital. In the mid-1960s, they decided to invest in a barren area, turning their dream into reality: building Playa de Las Américas, now one of the world's most popular tourist spots, on what was once just earth, stones, and tabaiba plants.

Experts say the climate was crucial to the south's transformation. They point out that until the early 1980s, tourists came to Puerto de la Cruz for its pleasant, stable weather. This changed when the south started offering sun, beaches, modern facilities, spacious public areas, and activities focused on leisure.

This, combined with Puerto de la Cruz being slow to update its hotels and having little room for new developments, eventually shifted tourist income and overnight stays towards the south.

The towns of Adeje and Arona, seeing the potential, adjusted their plans to support this new trend. They allowed developers to build many more hotel rooms and apartments. Apartments were especially popular in the 70s and 80s, helping areas like Ten-Bel, Los Cristianos, and Playa de Las Américas grow significantly.