I'm a single parent and I never get approached by these slimebags which is just as well really, because I doubt I could pull off the 'pretending to be a local' trick with my red hair and freckles....
I saw the TV programme, it was quite shocking, but personally I enjoyed just seeing snatches of film of the area around the Med Palace, brought back some good memories from last year The guy bragging about his £4K earnings and making his coke dealer happy was a bit much though...

cyberspacekadette
I enjoyed seeing the area too. Only came back on 16th June,but have been having post holiday depression symptoms

when we were watching the programme we too were talking about the area and how long it is since we were in tenerife (Dec 05) and how we really would like to be back there right now....

Val

Ditto your post

Rgds Jackie

You'll be over at Christmas/New Year if I remember correctly Jackie,if not before it,when me and plenty others will be at home freezing our bits and pieces off,no doubt. Not sure when Val and Rob are going back,but I'm sure it won't be long.
Any time's a good time to go to Tenerife,but somehow It seems even more appealing during the dreary winter months in the U.K.
Sorry

still but we won't be there this year i don't think.. we decided we would go to Gran Can twice this year and Egypt in December ( when we are normally in tenerife) and so i very much doubt we will be back until at least Feb/March time.. i am really getting withdrawal symptoms now...

I must confess, we too were caught out by these taughts.
Although we stuck to our guns, parted with no money and stayed all day!
We came out with a bottle of cheap wine and 200 fags!!
They really try and pile on the pressure though.

they make me feel sick.

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allmen

In response to the question "are you English?" we always used to answer "no, Polish" - which used to stop them in their tracks just long enough for us to make a quick getaway!!

we (2 adults and 2 kids) are just back from Tenerife and the touts are all over the place and are seemingly getting more desperate than ever ... they are approaching everyone - doesnt matter if you have kids, old, young, couple or single and they are hanging around in groups too specially around the beach areas ... they were getting very aggressive with people who wouldnt make eye contact etc calling them names and following them trying to strike up conversations - we witnessed quite a lot of older couples telling them to leave them alone and that they didnt come on holiday for all this hassle ... the problem with them being that if you try and do a polite "no thanks" they see that as a way in and bombard you with questions as they then know you are british, i am very dark and spoke in spanish to them to tell them no - but even that didnt seem to help they still tried to get me to take the cards - the only option to get rid of them in my opinion is to either completely ignore them and put up with the abuse they throw at you or be as rude as they are and tell them wherre to go !!! they made our holiday a misery as you spent most of your time trying to avoid a confrontation with them - new line i heard at the end of my holiday was "here - take this scratchcard - its ok it's courtesy of ABTA!!!" ... we never saw a single person take anything from any of them so hopefully the programme worked and they will get the message !!!

i always tell friends and family coming here top say "we live here" it seems to work, they dont bother me and people i know who have said that dont seem to have any hastle

I can speak scottish gaelic, so when approache by the touts I have them bamboozled when I answer them in gaelic

Nice one digby, We do own in Los Cristianos and last time we were over (June) they didn't bother us if we told them that but i'm tempted to learn martian or something just to see the look on their faces and to give myself a laugh!!

Just got back home yesterday.
Have to say we didnt have much bother with touts at all. Maybe cos we had kids with us or werent in the "right areas", I dont know. And those few that did approach us werent pushy when we said no and walked on.
BUT bar / restaurant PRs - thats a different story! Why cant you just walk down a road in peace without the constant badgering?