News from Tenerife (#17) appears every week as a brief news overview of the past week on your favorite website.
In this series, we publish a number of events and news facts from the past week. Each article in News from Tenerife is a synthesis of various facts, actions, and occurrences that are too brief to be presented as a full article.
Blue and Green Parking Zones in Santa Cruz
News from Tenerife #17/1
The Mobility Department of Santa Cruz is drafting fiscal regulations to govern the implementation of a new parking plan in the capital. As part of this initiative, the city council will grant a concession to an external company to manage the plan, which is set to come into effect in 2026. To this end, the Mobility Department is working on the necessary fiscal regulations that will enable the regulation of on-street parking spaces.
Starting next year, parking spaces will be divided into blue zones (for non-residents) and green zones (for residents), each with different pricing structures and time limits. A single company will be granted the concession to regulate the parking plan and oversee its implementation and enforcement measures.
Of the total regulated parking spaces, 70% will be designated as green zones, giving priority to residents, who will pay an annual fee of approximately €60. For residents, a parking space will be guaranteed. In the blue zones, which are intended for non-residents, the maximum parking time will be limited to two hours. Drivers will be required to pay a fee ranging from €1 to €2 per hour to park in these areas.
The revenue from parking fees is not intended for profit but will be reinvested in the construction of new parking spaces, both above ground and underground, as well as in improving vacant lots to create additional parking areas.
The plan aims to create approximately 4,100 new parking spaces in the capital over the coming years, with 1,800 spaces to be developed in the first phase.
Cannabis Growers Network Dismantled in the South of Tenerife
News from Tenerife #17/2
A joint operation by the Guardia Civil and the local police forces of San Miguel de Abona and Adeje resulted in the dismantling of a network of cannabis plantations in the south of Tenerife. Eight individuals were arrested for drug trafficking, including the manager of a cannabis club in Adeje, who was immediately taken to prison.
The operation, codenamed ‘Skip’, led to the arrest of eight people and the closure of three industrial laboratories set up for large-scale cannabis cultivation and industrial processing. The investigation began in May 2024 after authorities focused on a suspicious industrial warehouse in the Llano del Camello business area, in the municipality of San Miguel de Abona. After weeks of surveillance and cooperation between various police departments, officers gathered enough evidence to link the locations to the illegal production of cannabis.
After obtaining the necessary judicial authorizations, officers raided three industrial warehouses located in the Las Chafiras business area, which were used as high-tech production facilities for growing and processing cannabis.
During the operation, authorities seized the following illegal items: 134 kg of marijuana, 492 cannabis plants at various growth stages, 200 grams of hashish, industrial machines for cannabis processing, and over 2,200 euros in cash. It was also discovered that illegal electricity was being siphoned off to keep the laboratories and cultivation spaces operational.
Another key aspect of the operation was the discovery of a cannabis club in Adeje, managed by the main suspect, who was also the president of the association running the establishment. This club served as a drug distribution point, in violation of current legislation.
Initial findings suggest that this network not only supplied the cannabis club in Adeje but also distributed drugs to other areas in South Tenerife. This indicates the presence of a larger criminal organization, and the investigation is ongoing.
Worst Waste Management Figures Ever
News from Tenerife #17/3
Tenerife ended 2024 with the worst waste management figures on record, at least since the introduction of the Territorial Special Waste Management Plan (PTEOR), a management strategy that has been in place for 40 years. The past year saw the lowest recovery rate and the highest amount of waste being landfilled underground.
Since April 2024, waste processing on Tenerife has been severely disrupted due to a fire at the Arico mechanical waste processing plant. As a result of this incident, the amount of waste being landfilled underground increased dramatically.
The waste processing plant for non-separated waste, also known as the ‘all-in-one mechanical waste treatment,’ was shut down for four months. This facility normally processes around 2,000 tons of waste per month, preventing this amount from being landfilled at the Complejo Ambiental site in Tajao (Arico). However, due to the lack of a quick solution for the aftermath of the fire, Tenerife was without waste processing for four months, leading to nearly 8,000 additional tons of waste being landfilled on top of the usual quantities.
Tenerife generates around 670,000 tons of waste annually, which amounts to 1,800 tons per day. Only 3.5% of this is recovered, highlighting the importance of the mechanical waste processing plant for the environment. Although the recovery rate seems low, the vast volume of waste being processed makes these figures significant and essential.
Given the island’s fragile environmental situation, Tenerife cannot afford a decline in waste management or pollution.
Significant Drop in Unemployment
News from Tenerife #17/4
The Canary Islands ended 2024 with 138,400 unemployed individuals, 50,300 fewer than in 2023, representing an unemployment rate of 11.91%. The number of active working units stood at 1,162,100 people, a decrease of 1.11% compared to the end of 2023.
Source: Encuesta de Población Activa (EPA), published by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE).
In annual terms, this represents a 26.67% drop in unemployment rates. Compared to the previous quarter, the number of unemployed individuals on the islands decreased by 17.53%, or 29,400 fewer people. The total number of employed individuals on the Canary Islands at the end of 2024 reached 1,023,700 people, an increase of 37,300 compared to 2023, corresponding to a 3.78% growth.
In comparison to the previous quarter, the number of employed individuals rose by 26,400 people, a growth of 2.64%. As a result, the labor participation rate on the islands reached 59.04%. Despite these positive figures, the total number of active workers decreased to 1,162,100 people, a decrease of 1.11% (13,000 fewer) compared to the end of 2023.
These figures show a continued improvement in the labor market in the Canary Islands, with more job opportunities and a decline in unemployment, despite a slight decrease in the number of employed individuals.
Significant Drop in Rental Housing
News from Tenerife #17/5
The Canary Islands lost a total of 5,049 rental homes in 2024, reducing the number of available rental properties from 38,650 to 33,601. This occurred in a year in which the region recorded the strongest rent increase in Spain, with an average rise of 17.4%, pushing the average rent from €895 to €1,051 per month. This is according to the Barómetro del Alquiler 2024, a study conducted by the Observatorio del Alquiler de la Fundación Alquiler Seguro and the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.
The increase in the Canary Islands was more than six percentage points above the national average of 11.3%. Rent prices rose in both Canary Island provinces: in Las Palmas by +18.4%, with an average rent of €1,070 per month, and in Santa Cruz de Tenerife by +16.4%, with an average rent of €1,031 per month.
Alongside the price increase, the supply of rental properties also decreased: In Las Palmas, 3,995 rental homes were lost, while in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the supply dropped by 1,054 rental homes. By the end of 2024, the total number of rental homes in the Canary Islands stood at 33,601, compared to 38,650 in 2023.
According to research by the Fundación Alquiler Seguro, the Canary Islands are among the regions with the greatest imbalance between supply and demand in the rental market. Santa Cruz de Tenerife ranks among the ten provinces with the highest demand pressure in Spain, with 94 candidates per rental property (up from 83 in 2023). Las Palmas followed with 90 candidates per property, a doubling from 41 in 2023.
This imbalance between supply and demand, along with rising rent prices, is making the rental market in the Canary Islands increasingly difficult to access for both locals and newcomers.
These events and developments significantly impact life on Tenerife and illustrate the diversity of challenges, developments, and opportunities the island faces.
News from Tenerife continues to bring you the most relevant stories from the island.
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News from Tenerife #17 ©
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