“Tourism is the economic engine and the true social engine of the Canary Islands, but currently there are some 8,900 vacancies unfilled in the archipelago”, said the Canarian Minister of Tourism and Employment, Jessica De León, during the II Canary Islands Tourism Talent Management Meeting, held last Friday at the Hotel Secrets Lanzarote Resorts & Spa.
The counselor pointed out that “the public sector and the private sector have to go hand in hand to be more attractive, to attract talent and for those who join to work in our main industry, to say it with pride.” In addition, she highlighted the value of this meeting “not only to debate and reflect, but also to act.”
The meeting, organized by Asolan, in collaboration with the Lanzarote Tourism Federation (FTL) and Turismo Lanzarote, was attended by 200 participants, including experts and professionals who addressed the keys to talent management, a decisive factor for the competitiveness and sustainability of tourism in the Canary Islands.
For her part, the president of Asolan and the FTL, Susana Pérez, stressed the importance of “valuing the most important asset of our sector: people”, and recalled that “this conference is not just an isolated event, but part of a continuous effort to make talent management a central element of our industry.”
“All of us present here - institutions, companies, professionals, education centers, training centers, universities and future professionals - play a key role in this process. Only through close collaboration and a firm commitment can we continue to make Lanzarote and the Canary Islands a benchmark in tourism at an international level.”
The conference also had the support of other authorities who attended the event, such as the mayor of Yaiza, the director and deputy director of the Canarian Employment Service, the director of the Canarian Institute of Professional Qualification and the insular director of Education, Carmen Pellón, who stressed that the meeting is “an opportunity for coordination between education and the tourism sector and to be able to adequately manage the great talent that exists on the island.”
Among the speakers, Xavi Escales, founder of AlwaysPeopleFirst, emphasized that “people will continue to be key to achieving the objectives of companies”, stressing the importance of developing a business approach focused on the well-being of teams.
He was followed by Carlos Domínguez Benito, from ILUNION, who highlighted his company's commitment to “building a better world with everyone included, demonstrating with facts that economic and social profitability can go hand in hand.”
For her part, Eva Aguado, territorial coordinator of CaixaBank Dualiza, presented the conclusions of the joint study they carried out with the CEOE Foundation, according to which, more than 2.3 million job opportunities will be created in the tourism sector by 2035, and that approximately 25% will correspond to professionals with Vocational Training studies.
The conference also included the participation of Ana Zorita, corporate director of Development, Talent and Training at THB Hotels, who spoke about “how to create a Talent School within a tourism company”, emphasizing that “training is the key to all transformation” and that “a well-defined pedagogical strategy aligned with the values of a company will generate the true viral impact until it becomes part of its DNA.”
The director of External Practices and Employability, Vice-Rectorate of Students, Alumni and Employability of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lourdes Sarmiento Ramos, was in charge of talking about the labor insertion of Tourism graduates from the ULPGC. “Various official data sources guarantee that possessing a university degree, in this case Tourism, qualitatively improves access to the world of work”, she stressed.
“The road to excellence begins with people” was the title of the last presentation, which was given by Isabel López, from Great Place to Work. “Dress your employees with a smile and your customers will return it to you”, she defended, emphasizing the importance of having motivated work teams.
In addition, the meeting included two round tables, moderated by the director of Training and Studies of CEHAT, Ana María Camps. One on Tourism companies, management and retention of talent, which included the participation of representatives of large chains such as GF Hoteles, Gloria Thalasso & Hotels, Hibiscus Hotels, ILUNION and THB Hotels; and another focused on professional careers in the tourism sector, in which representatives of MTS Globe, Hotel Miramar, Dreamplace Hotels & Resorts, the Lilium and Dunas Famara Restaurants, shared their experiences on professional growth in the industry.
All of them served as inspiration both for the professionals who attended the event and for the students of the CIFP Zonzamas and the University School of Tourism of Lanzarote who followed the event. Some were able to do so in person and others, given that the planned capacity had been completed, did so thanks to the streaming broadcast that was enabled.
Susana Pérez dedicated some special words to all of them: “I want to assure you that you have made an excellent decision by betting on the tourism sector, which is one of the industries with the most future and with the most capacity for adaptation in the world. You are in the right place and at the right time to become not only professionals in the sector, but also references and leaders of tomorrow.”