Tenerife has been warned that Benidorm will take all its tourists if the Canary Islanders continue moaning about holidaymakers.
Nigel Pope, who is nicknamed the ‘King of Benidorm’, says that the tourist hub he now calls home thrives off Brits – and anticipates an upsurge in visitors if conflicts between locals and tourists intensify in the Canary Islands.
Aged 64, originally from Cornwall, Nigel has achieved notable fame as the unofficial ambassador to the buzzing Costa Blanca resort through his social media travel videos residing in Spain for seven years.
With over 45,000 TikTok followers, he indulges British tourists with the allure of making a 900-mile journey to relish the sun, beach and strip of Benidorm. And Nigel believes his beloved Benidorm can cash in on the Canaries’ complaints.
Nigel told the Daily Star: “It’s very possible that more Brits will come to Benidorm because of the situation in the Canaries. We have a microclimate very similar to the Canaries.
“Last winter we had the mildest winter on record, the lowest temperature I saw during winter was 5C at night and highest was 26C during the day, hardly any bad days either.”
His daily live streams around Benidorm and nearby areas on various platforms such as Tiktok, Facebook and YouTube draw hordes of first-time visitors who consistently return to the area.
He said: “I have hundreds of people coming to Benidorm for the first time and returning time and time again because of my daily livestreams around Benidorm and surrounding areas on Tiktok, Facebook and YouTube. I’m showing that there is more to Benidorm than the stag and hen do’s and drunken Brits.”
While Nigel insists that the locals in Benidorm ‘adore’ British expats and holidaymakers, the sentiment in the Canary Islands is starkly different. The popular tourist destinations have recently been marred by anti-tourist protests, with concerns that over-tourism could lead to the region’s “collapse”.
In April, a crowd of 120,000 took to the streets of Tenerife to express their frustration at tourists snapping up local housing. ‘Go home’ and other explicit messages have been spray-painted across buildings – with some going as far as launching hunger strikes.
However, Benidorm attracted 832,115 Brits in 2023, a 5.2 percent increase from 2019.
But it’s not just the Brits who enjoy letting their hair down. Nigel elaborated: “Benidorm New Town thrives primarily because of the British, but the Dutch, Germans, French, Belgians and Norwegians kept it going when the British faced challenges due to Brexit.
“When the Brits are here, it’s party time for most. Although the older generation enjoy Old Town, Poniente and La Cala.
“The atmosphere is incredible all year round thanks to the warm winter climate. It’s a very friendly place, everyone loves to have fun together and it’s so easy to make new friends here.
“The Mayor of Benidorm has welcomed the British here, allowing the fancy dress party in November to be one of the biggest in the world.
“An estimated 40,000 Brits were here for the yearly parade, and now with the double New Year’s celebrations, more are expected to join in it’s an amazing time.”
Despite the simmering tensions over tourism in the Canary and Balearic Islands, Nigel remains unfazed about his prospects in Benidorm. Statistics reveal a surge in British tourists flocking to the sunny shores of this coastal haven, and with the mayor’s warm welcome, TikTok‘s favourite tour guide Nigel has no plans to return to Cornwall just yet.
And he confidently claims that Benidorm is the “friendliest place ever.”