A resident’s view on whether Tenerife really resents its tourists

Von Marlis Zoschke

On Saturday, ARD and ZDF broadcast a report on their evening news programmes about what is probably the biggest problem facing the Canary Islands at the moment. The demonstrations were predominantly attended by people who, following the Franco dictatorship, had worked hard to portray the island in the way that was apparently desired. But that doesn’t always work out.

We were always made to feel welcome as friends. And we never sensed any hostility or even animosity. But after the fall of the Wall, which we witnessed in Tenerife, everything changed very quickly: it sometimes got very crowded and noisy – right into the small hours.

Very soon, people from Russia and other Eastern European countries began to arrive. The shops were bought out, much to the delight of the owners. However, standards of cleanliness often left a lot to be desired. Many other visitors, too, did not exactly behave in an exemplary manner. In some cases, they were only served beer in paper cups.

Was that the start of hostility towards tourism in the Canary Islands?

For women in certain age groups, there are hardly any opportunities to find work in the Canary Islands due to a lack of education. Perhaps they often feel discriminated against when female tourists walk through the streets ‚all dressed up‘? Yet they all make a huge contribution to the success of the industry and sometimes have to do the ‚dirty work‘. But this is probably not recognised enough.

I find it repulsive to see a young woman standing in front of the camera, half-naked, brazenly claiming that the general public depends on her for its livelihood. It is also degrading to hear another woman say that she lives in a dilapidated building – without basic sanitation – because, on an income of 1,000 euros, she can no longer afford the 700-euro rent for somewhere better.

Normally, Tenerife would have the means to bring about change. After all, it has the autonomy to intervene in such abuses. There are certainly too many people who stand to gain from such abuses.

I think a political voice for non-Canarians is just wishful thinking. I hope something like that never happens. Tenerife seems to call the shots here.