Tourisme is the most prominent industry in the Canaries, and it is one
of the major tourist destinations in the World.
According to last year's Canarian Statistics Centre's (ISTAC) Report on
Tourism the greatest number of tourists from any one country come from
the United Kingdom, with more than 1,600,000 tourists in 2005.
Tourism is more prevalent in the south of Tenerife which is hotter
and drier and has many well developed resorts such as Playa de las
Americas and Los Cristianos. More recently coastal development has
spread northwards from Playa de las Americas and now encompasses the
former small enclave of La Caleta. After the Moratoria act in the
Canary Islands no more hotels should be
built on the island unless they are classified as 5 star-quality hotels
and comprise different services such as Golf Courses or Congress
facilities. This act was passed with the goal of improving the standard
of tourism service in the Canary Islands and promoting environmentally conscious development.
