Shops across Guía de Isora can now choose to open on Sundays and public holidays, following a decision by the Canary Islands Government that extends flexible trading hours beyond the municipality’s coastal areas.
The change takes effect on Friday, 9 October, giving businesses throughout the municipality the same freedom previously enjoyed by shops in Playa San Juan, Alcalá and Varadero.
There’s one important point, though. Businesses are allowed to open, but they’re not obliged to. Nobody is being told they have to sacrifice their Sunday lie-in.
Why has the decision been made?
Guía de Isora Town Hall argued that tourism isn’t confined to the coast.
Visitors also head inland for rural accommodation, walking trails, cultural attractions and local food experiences. The council believes businesses in these areas should have the same opportunity to serve tourists and compete with shops in the established coastal destinations.
The new rules allow businesses to choose their opening days throughout the year, including public holidays.
The decision follows a request from the local council and has been formalised through a resolution published in the Official Bulletin of the Canary Islands.
Not everyone is convinced
The extension hasn’t been welcomed by everyone.
Business organisations have questioned whether the evidence used to justify the change is strong enough, particularly because some of the tourism figures include coastal areas that have already benefited from flexible opening hours since 2015.
CEOE Tenerife, drawing on concerns raised by FAUCA and ASUICAN, has called for more detailed statistics covering the areas that were previously excluded, along with an assessment of the potential impact on local businesses.
The Chamber of Commerce has also asked for a more thorough justification, particularly regarding the town centre and the surrounding hillside areas.
Trade union CCOO has opposed the extension, raising concerns about employees’ rest days and the pressure that longer opening hours could place on small businesses.
The union also argues that the municipality’s main tourism activity remains concentrated along the coast.
What happens now?
The Canary Islands Government has stood by its decision, saying there are sufficient grounds to extend the rules across the whole municipality.
Businesses must still comply with employment legislation and the relevant collective agreements. The change doesn’t remove those obligations.
There is also no fixed end date for the new arrangement. It will remain in place while the circumstances that justified it continue, although the decision could be reviewed in the future.
For shoppers and visitors, this means more potential options for finding an open shop on a Sunday or public holiday, including away from the coast.
For business owners and workers, the debate over whether that flexibility is a good thing is unlikely to disappear just yet.