British stag dos are avoiding Tenerife in favour of Benidorm new data from specialist travel bookers The Stag Company has revealed. On Saturday giant protests calling for limits to protect the island of Tenerife hit headlines worldwide as frustrations from locals about overtourism reached boiling point.
However, stag do organisers The Stag Company claim even before the demonstrations, bookings to the largest of the Canary Islands were plummeting.
So far the business has only had 48 bookings for Tenerife this year, which is nearly two thirds less than the 128 who flocked there in 2023.
This is in contrast to the number of stag dos heading to Benidorm which has almost doubled, an increase which means only Prague is more popular with the firm.
Providing an analysis for the reasons behind the shift head of marketing Tom Bourlet said: “Tenerife welcomes more tourists than they have residents each year by more than three times the amount.
“Their economy is very much reliant on tourism, but it has impacted virtually every aspect for local residents and there is now a kickback against the tourism focus and over-tourism.
“From protests to new European Union rules and the potential ‘tourist tax’ implementations means that it simply isn’t as attractive as a destination compared to a few years ago for Brits looking for somewhere warm with a lively atmosphere.
“In contrast, we have seen Benidorm highly receptive to tourism, which has propelled the destination up as a place to visit for stag groups.
“We’re expecting Tenerife to drop in tourism by more than 50 percent through 2024, but it could bounce back in 2025.”
Fernando Clavijo, Canary Islands President has hinted a tourist tax is on the table after the protests finished. He told reporters: “It is true that the ecotax is not included in the government program, but it is also true that we are willing to discuss it.”
This could mean holidaymakers will be forced to cough up an additional £2.60 per night, an added expense of £36.40 for a fortnight’s stay.
The specifics are not yet determined, and it’s not yet known if this fee will apply per person or per party if the new levy is approved.