The role of caravans in the Canary Islands is strange, to say the least. The scarcity and high cost of housing in the archipelago, which is subject to intense tourist pressure, once made them an affordable alternative for those who could not afford a traditional rental. In the absence of a regular house or apartment, a caravan or caravan was fine. Now these vehicles are used for quite different purposes: holiday rentals for tourists. Some cases have already been detected in the town of Arona in southern Tenerife. There are even those who claim that they are also used for prostitution.

The most curious thing is that the caravans do not only attract the attention of Canary officials. A similar incident occurred in the Balearic Islands.

No caravan, holiday home. This news was also featured in many local media: Day, Notification Log or the COPE chain: In Arona, a municipality in the south of the island of Tenerife, there are those who take advantage of their caravans in the thriving holiday rental business. This was recently noticed by the town’s mayor, Fátima Lemes, and Juan Martín, president of the Canary Islands Approved Caravans and Campers Association, who assures that this activity is taking up more and more space in car parks in tourist areas. .

“So-called most of the owners of these caravans park them, take the keys so they can’t move them, and put them up for holiday rentals,” Martín told COPE. You don’t need to go to the Canary coast to see it. You can find ads for caravans in Tenerife on Airbnb, advertised as beachside accommodation options with kitchens and even work space. Prices vary. A quick search shows options ranging from 25 euros to 60 euros per night for this month.

Something more than tourism. Martín warns that at least some of the caravans they detected were parked in unprepared locations and reminds that these vehicles must have light points, tank emptying, access to potable water and be installed in safe environments. His criticism goes further and ensures that the caravans may be used for another activity.

“It is said that there is someone engaged in prostitution in the caravans,” he says. The key for him is the lack of “clear regulation” and he regrets that there are those who “take advantage of the absence of a municipal ordinance on this issue.” Arona Town Council is currently carrying out a census to get an idea of ​​the volume of caravans in the town, a tool that could be useful in developing local regulations.

Part of the Tenerife landscape. The number of caravans, caravans and caravans is high enough for the Tenerife Council to draw up special regulations to regulate their use and parking on the island. The goal, announced by the president in early April, was to make this a reality before the end of the summer, “within three months at most”.

The news follows a row in Arico last Easter, when the proliferation of such vehicles blocked streets in coastal areas. The mayor later warned that the crowds were causing “environmental problems and serious inconvenience to residents.”

Move a tab. Some municipalities decided to act on their own initiative, either by making regulations or by looking for alternative solutions. Now Canary Islands. Granadilla de Abona chose to eliminate camping in a protected area; They started working on a municipal ordinance for their area in Arona, and some time ago Puerto de la Cruz marked the parking areas.

Tourism… and work. Of course, not all caravans are occupied by tourists or dedicated to holiday rentals. Difficulties in finding affordable housing in the Canary Islands, where rents are at record levels, have led to some people having to spend the night in caravans or pickup trucks. Some of the archipelago’s councilors began to notice that these vehicles had people performing “effective registration” when registering.

For example, this is the solution that workers working in the tourism industry and who cannot pay for other accommodations have difficulty with. in february Day I was talking to a 29-year-old man who, despite having a permanent job at a transport company and earning 1,300 euros a month, couldn’t afford to buy a house in the south of Tenerife. Solution: Move into a caravan, at least temporarily.

Beyond the Canary Islands. The proliferation of caravans is not just becoming a problem in the Canary archipelago. Difficulties in finding affordable housing have also led to the proliferation of caravans in Ibiza, prompting the intervention of local authorities. in April Newspaper He pointed out that in the municipal district of Ibiza alone there are approximately thirty settlements partly occupied by workers who cannot pay the rents on the island.

Already at that time, it was noted that there were people offering caravans to rent later to seasonal workers or tourists, and even islanders with homes who preferred to settle in caravans during the high season. Reason: Renting out their residences to visitors. Ibiza Council has moved to restrict car and caravan access to the island during the summer months.

Pictures | JPC24M (Flickr) and Voyenvan Caravans (Flickr)

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