A controversial article published by a British journalist who queries why Britons come to Tenerife has been echoed in the island’s media.
Daily Express writer Adam Tom raised eyebrows with his criticism, which was published in the popular paper last week and focused not so much of what Tenerife has to offer but more on what motivates UK tourists to holiday here.
Tom visited Tenerife to cover the recent anti-tourism protests and took the opportunity to look around for a few days and, in particular, to observe tourists and what they do on holiday.
His observations led him to conclude that, in contrast to his own understanding that holidays should be more active and seek to discover the destination’s history and culture. many Britons spent their holiday just “lounging around … and doing nothing much”.
Continuing his criticism, the journalist said that he failed to “understand how people can spend weeks doing this, without growing frustrated and eager to return home”.
Attributing the limited scope of holidaymakers’ activities to the large number of British and Irish pubs in the resorts in the south, Tom added further that he found it “a bit strange that people travel hundreds of miles and spend hundreds of pounds to reach these places, when they could do the same in an actual British pub during a sunny day at home.”
For the Express journalist, the approach to holidays is a “trademark of British folk” and perhaps Tenerife’s magic for tourists and expats from the UK lies in just that: the familiar personalities of home, but with infinitely better weather.
The article, which drew a mixed response from readers of his own newspaper (some of whom described him as a “snob” and out of touch with reality, while others emphasised Tenerife’s many attractions beyond beaches and bars), has fuelled the ongoing debate on the type of tourism Tenerife should be aiming to attract in order to reduce visitor numbers and ensure that the revenue generated is distributed more widely.
