Bajamar’s Transformation Linked to Los Rodeos Airport Development
The story of Los Rodeos Airport is intertwined with Tenerife’s communication growth and tourism sector. The airport’s origins date back to a request from German airline Lufthansa to connect Berlin with the island via Seville. In response, Tenerife’s Cabildo developed land on a plateau in the high area of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, over 600 metres above sea level.
The first aircraft landed at Los Rodeos in 1929, arriving from Seville to what was then a dirt airstrip. That decade also saw the beginning of beach facilities in Bajamar.
Los Rodeos gained importance over time. A Royal Order on 14 May 1930 designated it as a national airport. By 1943, the first terminal was completed, and on 3 May 1946, a ministerial decree officially opened it to air traffic. A subsequent decree on 12 July designated it as a customs airport for both national and international traffic.
As the main aerial gateway for Tenerife, Los Rodeos played a crucial role in increasing tourist numbers and fostering economic transformation on the island.
In the 1960s, the runway was expanded with significant earthworks. Around this time, the airport was officially renamed Tenerife Airport, though locals continued to refer to it as Los Rodeos.
The 1960s marked a turning point for tourism in Tenerife. Increased investments brought not just more visitors but also major financial companies and international investors. German investors were particularly notable, encouraged by tax incentives for overseas investments in developing countries. Some of these German investments were linked to the Strauss Law, which promoted such activities. German capital played a key role in acquiring land and promoting new tourist developments.
However, they were not alone; investors and buyers from Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK, as well as Spanish entrepreneurs, also flocked to Tenerife. Coastal land rapidly gained economic value, transforming the previous market landscape.
Bajamar was also part of this transformation.
Bajamar and the Tourism Boom
The tourism development in Bajamar became a focus for investment in the 1960s, leading to urbanisation along the coast that had previously seen little change apart from small homes and agriculture.
This era is often associated with the “tourism boom.” Although tourism in the Canaries existed prior to this time, the influx of visitors in the 1960s brought about a new economic and territorial significance. The rapid construction of hotels, apartments, and commercial establishments fundamentally altered the local landscape and traditional ways of life.
Bajamar exemplified this shift. Most locals had previously relied on agriculture and fishing, but new buildings and tourist facilities began to appear, catering to both foreign visitors and new residents from other parts of Tenerife.
Furthermore, affluent families from La Laguna began to see Bajamar as an ideal summer retreat. Entrepreneurs and developers recognised the economic potential of a coastal area undergoing rapid revaluation.
Like other parts of the Canaries during this time, growth in Bajamar was characterised by financial interests, influential relationships, and urban planning decisions that deserve historical scrutiny.
The Bajamar of the 1960s quickly shed its traditional landscape and lifestyle, paving the way for modern developments. Los Rodeos facilitated the arrival of thousands of travellers, while investments sought new accommodation options. Ultimately, Bajamar, once a quiet coastal village in La Laguna, became a prime location for expansion, marking the intertwining of airport developments, tourism, real estate investments, and territorial transformation in a narrative that reshaped the area forever.
