It is one of the oldest population centers on the island, with origins dating back to the end of the 15th century, and now, in the 21st century, it has become one of the levers that drive the economic revival of the capital of Tenerife. The town of San Andrés, with a fixed population of just under 3,000 inhabitants, faces a hopeful future after overcoming the pandemic and undertaking important actions that will consolidate it as the main tourist and leisure destination in Santa Cruz.
The proximity of the beaches of Las Teresitas and Las Gaviotas, and the Dársena Pesquera, its strategic location as the gateway to the Anaga Rural Park, with its extensive network of trails; the great and varied offer of restaurants and the increase in the number of holiday rental homes, make the popular seaside center an economic engine that is increasingly thriving and has more weight in the municipality.
This summer, San Andrés has been one of the most fashionable places on the Island, with a considerable and incessant bustle of people and vehicles in search of its beaches, its natural trails and its restaurants and terraces. And not only during the weekends, as is traditional. In its streets and premises there is an increasing presence of peninsular, German and Italian tourists, especially.
The beaches of Las Teresitas and Las Gaviotas are the main attraction, but now the bathing offer has been extended in the town itself with the muellito and the new mini-beach and solarium area of the breakwater, very frequented especially by young people and which this summer has incorporated the Red Cross lifeguard service.
This novelty on the coast of San Andrés is the consequence of an action that has been fundamental for the present and future of the coastal town. The construction of the breakwater or semi-submerged breakwater in 2017, an old demand from the residents, not only definitively guaranteed the safety of the homes and businesses on the seafront in the face of the strong pounding of the sea, which caused frequent flooding, but also created new spaces for public use with the aforementioned mini beach that has become a new attraction for residents and foreigners.
THE BREAKWATER
Thanks, precisely, to the protection provided by this semi-submerged breakwater of 330 meters and more than 6,000 concrete blocks weighing 7 tons each, the City Council of Santa Cruz is now considering new projects to beautify the environment of San Andrés and improve its functionality and accessibility. One of these projects is the reform and pedestrianization of Calle Dique, a road parallel to the maritime avenue where numerous bars and restaurants are concentrated and which serves as the entrance to the town.
With the elimination of traffic and car parks on Calle Dique, the aim is to increase the attractiveness of this area which, as Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez has assured, will become “a free public space classified as a square”. The investment exceeds 900,000 euros. “In this case – detailed the mayor – the priority will be pedestrian and leisure use, leaving a lane for the restricted traffic of neighboring vehicles and loading and unloading. On the other hand, it is planned to provide the parking line of the Avenida Marítima with a sidewalk, since there is currently no pedestrian itinerary between these car parks and the surrounding roads. This street at the entrance to the town will be provided with adequate lighting that is attractive to visitors and tourists, in addition to the planned action in the surroundings of the Castle, the front of San Andrés will be modernized and embellished.
Another complementary municipal action, which would compensate for the loss of parking due to the pedestrianization of Calle Dique, will be the conditioning of a large public car park on the land next to Las Teresitas beach that was occupied by the building known as the tome.
“These two actions will give an important boost to the town of San Andrés”, assured the councilor of the Development Society Alfonso Cabello, who pointed out that this population center currently concentrates 17% of the total number of bars and restaurants in Santa Cruz. Holiday rental homes are already around a hundred in the coastal town.
The capital of Tenerife currently has some 2,900 hotel beds and also close to 3,000 vacation homes; most of them are located in San Andrés and surroundings, which is gaining weight as an area of tourist interest.
