Your Tenerife travel itinerary can start with a street-level view of the island before you leave home, thanks to new technology holidaymakers can see where they're going before they even pick up a Tenerife map.

Tenerife is one of the seven islands that make up the Canaries. The Canaries belong to Spain, but are located much closer to Africa, just off the coast of the Sahara Desert.

Their southern location makes them an ideal place for those looking for year-round sunshine. Inviting beaches are always just a few minutes to a couple hours' drive from any location on the island.

The most populated and frequently traveled areas are along the coastline. This is where most of the island's hotels and resorts are located.

Much of the central part of the island is set aside as national parkland. Its 73 square kilometers is home to Mount Teide, the world's third highest volcano. Many parts of this UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site are closed to vehicles of any type in order to preserve its ecology.

Between the near-endless sunshine and the island's ecological wonders, the Tenerife travel industry typically draws over five million visitors per year. Tenerife travel and related industries generate approximately 60 percent of the island's GDP annually.

Thanks to the ever-expanding empire of Google, holidaymakers have another Tenerife travel tool at their disposal. The island went online with Google Street View in 2010.

This feature gave potential visitors the opportunity to get a 360 degree view of many of the isle's popular destinations. This includes Tenerife hotels and resorts, historic sites, shops, restaurants, beaches, streets and ecological areas.

This Google service has been offered since May of 2007. It began first in just a handful of major cities across the globe.

Its fleet of vehicles (and even tricycles and snowmobiles for hard-to-access areas) roams about, capturing panoramic views of participating areas. It then makes these views available online along with its regular map services.

Therefore, it's possible for anyone with Internet access to choose a specific location in the serviced areas. The user simply locates the place using the search field. The location is brought up on a topographical map. Additionally, the user can click on a button to see the 360 degree panoramic photo of the location.

What does this mean for the Tenerife travel industry? For starters, it will be difficult for destinations, particularly hotels, to misrepresent themselves.

Are you considering a hotel that advertises that it's just a "stone's throw" from the beach? Now you can find that hotel using Google Street View. A quick scan of the location will tell you whether the beach is actually near enough to fall out of bed into or not.

Do you want to know whether your resort of choice is isolated or surrounded by dense population? Pull it up and see exactly what you'll be surrounded by on your holiday.

Whether you want to verify the claims about a particular destination or you're simply curious about an area, this service will be an asset. Tenerife travelers can see exactly what they are getting themselves into before they ever leave home.

This service keeps Tenerife travel business owners honest and on their toes. In fact, the potential ramifications are almost staggering. A growing awareness of, and reliance upon, by consumer-generated travel review websites like Trip Advisor, E-Pinions and Senior Travel keeps Tenerife travel service providers striving for quality.

Island businesses which fail to meet consumer expectations will be forced to shape up or shut down. Hotels and services can compete more honestly based on what they have to offer. Prices may have to be adjusted accordingly. All of this can only be a benefit to the Tenerife travel industry and the travelers who use them.