Fifth wave of gentrification in Tenerife. Threats and sustainable opportunities for tourism industry.

Abstract

The work examines the sustainable opportunities for the tourism industry on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands archipelago. In recent decades, transnational gentrification and touristicfication have substantially modified territories and created new socio-spatial and relational dynamics not only between new and old inhabitants, but also between different cultures. This thesis aims to analyse the gentrification phenomenon in depth with a specific focus on the novelties introduced by the fifth wave and its relations with the role of governance, the influence of tourism and new social dynamics. The historical and tourism context of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, is defined, examining in detail the peculiar tourism, social and housing situations of the island's main tourist provinces. The theme of the influence of the current tourist context on society and the environment, in particular, is addressed with the contribution of data obtained from interviews with local citizens, carried out using the GIOIA methodology. The results obtained are aimed at framing the general situation on the island and the current effects of gentrification according to the different perceptions of the phenomena. The conclusions identify sustainable proposals aimed to aimed at protecting culture and improving social conditions on the island for the future generation.