Playa del Inglés (Spanish for "Englishman's Beach") is a town in the south coast of the island of Gran Canaria. Playa del Inglés is part of the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana. It has a nice long beach made of tall sand dunes that come from the Sahara desert, and is connected with other beach towns including San Agustín and Maspalomas in the touristic centre of the island. The population was 17,158 in 2002, and growing. Hotels, restaurants, taverns and villas are aligned with its beach. Playa del Inglés is a popular destination for the European gay community, with bars, restaurants and businesses centered primarily in the Yumbo Centrum shopping center. A gay beach is found near the Maspalomas Dunes. Playa del Inglés is linked with the old highway linking Puerto de Mogán and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and with the GC1 superhighway with an interchange to the north. Until the arrival of tourism, agriculture was the main industry in the area, the second leading industries are business and agriculture. The mountains can be seen to the north. Playa del Inglés is home to the Yumbo centre that contains gay bars and clubs.