Susana Pérez Represa will continue to head the Presidency of the Island Association of Hotel and Apartment Businessmen of Lanzarote (Asolan) for a new term.
Her candidacy has been supported by acclamation in the Electoral Assembly held this Friday. Along with her, the Board of Directors that has accompanied her in the last three years will continue. “This will allow us to give continuity to the lines of work,” said Susana Pérez, who thanked for the support received.
Pérez has led the hotel employers in recent years and had already had to manage different crises that directly and indirectly affected the sector, as well as bankruptcies of tour operators and airlines, but never a situation of zero tourism like the one experienced in the management period that has just ended.
The president of Asolan has recalled those difficult circumstances that have marked the last three years. First, the Covid-19 pandemic, which had a huge impact on tourism, reaching that zero tourism; and then the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which triggered costs and uncertainty in the sector.
“From Asolan we have maintained constant support for tourist establishments, the Lanzarote tourist industry has demonstrated its resilience. Together we have been able to face the crises and move forward. Now is the time to demonstrate that we have emerged stronger. To face the new horizons, the new opportunities and the new challenges that we have ahead,” he said.
Looking ahead to this new term, one of the main objectives is to boost the competitiveness of tourist accommodation, contributing in turn to the competitiveness of Lanzarote as a tourist destination. To this end, it will bet on continuing with the process of renovation and modernization of the accommodation plant, initiated in 2013 with the Modernization, Improvement and Increase of Competitiveness (PMM) plans. It also proposes to advance in terms of sustainability, the fight against climate change and decarbonization, promoting the use of renewable energies to comply with the 2030 and 2040 Objectives.
Another of the challenges involves the digitalization of the sector and the application of new technologies, to improve operational efficiency and the customer experience. "Knowing our tourists more and better will allow us to offer personalized experiences, increase the stay and the average expenditure of tourists in the destination, through the micro segmentation of clients; the diversification of the issuing markets and air connectivity”, Pérez highlights.
Employability in the sector, improving talent management and the qualification and requalification of workers through training, is another of the objectives set. In addition, Pérez highlights the need to maintain close collaboration and lines of work with public administrations at all levels: city councils, Cabildo, Turismo Lanzarote, Tourist Centers and the Canary Islands Government.
In addition to presiding over Asolan, Susana Pérez is president of the Lanzarote Tourist Federation (FTL) and a member of the Executive Committee of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT), of the Board of Directors of the Hotel Technological Institute (ITH), as well as of the Lanzarote Business Confederation (CEL) and the Executive Committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Lanzarote and La Graciosa.
Luis Miguel Morales will once again accompany the Board of Directors of Asolan as treasurer, Solveig Olsen as secretary and Francisco Martínez, Bárbara Espárrago and Héctor Pulido as vice presidents of the north, central and south zones, respectively. Adolfo de la Rua, Raúl Álvarez, Iris Berger, Juan Francisco Torres, Roberto Reyes, Bienvenido Saavedra, Francisco Javier Armas, Joaquín Cañada and Javier Seguí will continue as members.
