I regularly play on Tripadvisor’s Tenerife forum where it’s no surprise that today’s major subject of conversation is Spain’s decision.
It is going to prove to be a difficult time on two levels. For local people and businessess, the severe reduction in tourist numbers to the south of the island is going to badly hit many. And, of course, the forced closure of restaurants , etc may well be a final straw for a goodly number.
Many tourists, to the south, rent apartments as we do. And very many will eat out every night of their stay, only using the apartment facilities for breakfast and, say, to make a sandwich lunch. With restaurants closed, folk already on holiday are going to be obliged to cook for themselves. This is not as easy as might be first thought. Because of the tendency for folk to eat out, apartments are often not well equipped for cooking a “proper meal”. And obtaining supplies is going to be tricky. Whilst there are a couple of major supermarkets in the whole of the southern tourist area, I understand shelves were stripped bare local Spaniards stocking up, this morning. That leaves the tourists reliant on the small convenience stores dotted round the area. Now, we find the one near the apartment we rent to be fine for our needs - drinks, bread, ham, cheese, salad and fruit. But it only carries small stocks of fresh meat. I’d struggle to rely on that for all of our food needs (and have any sense of cooking a nice meal). Difficult times, indeed.
