Scottish pub owner on Tenerife says tourists have since left the island

British holidaymakers are being forced to give up their winter homes in Tenerife due to changes to European Union rules and rising flight costs.

Relations between foreign residents and locals on the island have been tense lately, as activists have gone on hunger strike and a massive protest of 120,000 people in Santa Cruz has attracted international attention.

Lisa Robertson, who runs Jags Bar, a Scottish pub in Playa de las Americas, says many Britons who split their time between Britain and Spain are already leaving because of new post-Brexit rules.

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These rules stipulate that British citizens must leave Spain after 90 days, forcing those with second homes to travel between the two countries more often – a financial burden that is too much for many to bear.

“I know at least four people who have sold their homes here because they can’t get out as often as they used to,” Lisa, who has lived in Tenerife for almost 14 years, told the Express. Emphatic.

“There is one couple in particular who worked for eight months (in the Canary Islands) and then six months in Scotland. But because they are only allowed to stay for 90 days, they have just sold their holiday home.”

A popular spot for Scottish visitors to Tenerife, Jags Bar is known for serving Tennent’s lager on tap and broadcasting horse racing from Ayr. However, Lisa, a local resident, has noticed a significant drop in the number of Scots visiting the bar due to recent changes.

“I knew a lot of people who came to Tenerife for months and were here every night. I haven’t seen them (since the rules changed). There are many such people. It’s quite difficult,” she said.

The changes will also affect staffing levels at British bars on the island. “It also has consequences for the workforce. If you speak to any British bar on the island they are screaming for staff.”

A visit to Tenerife’s many British pubs reveals an older demographic behind the bar, as venues now require staff to have pre-Brexit citizenship or legal employment rights in Spain.

“The youngest ones can only come for three months, and only for three months,” Lisa explained. “I can’t handle them.”

Rising rents on the island have also hit Brits living on Tenerife hard.

“I know families of four who have moved into one-bedroom apartments because it is cheaper,” she added. “They have been there for years, but the landlords have raised the rent so high that they can no longer afford it.”

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