The Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Businessmen (FEHT) of the province of Las Palmas has warned that legally tolerating the residentialization of tourist areas of the Canary Islands "is the worst possible housing policy."
In a statement, the Las Palmas tourism association alluded to the "notorious and evident risk" that a reform of the tourism sector legislation would entail, which would involve the "destruction of the principle of the principle of unity of exploitation", which, in its opinion, would set "a very serious precedent capable of causing irreparable damage to tourist complexes and employment in the archipelago."
As an example of the impact of residentialization on tourism, the business entity referred to a study prepared by the Institute of Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which, in "conservative estimates", has estimated at 591 million euros the loss of income that this process would entail only in tourist complexes in San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
The FEHT considers that proposals of this nature "urged by owners of tourist apartments in defense of their exclusive particular interest confuse legitimate and compatible objectives with each other, such as housing needs and the maintenance of economic activity, to the detriment of the general interest and collective prosperity."
Support from CCOO and UGT
Together with the Association of Tourist Businessmen of Las Palmas (AEAT), the FEHT assures that it "supports all public initiatives for the construction of housing and clearly advocates for its execution as quickly as possible for the benefit of the general interest of the Canary Islands as well."
Therefore, both associations consider that "replacing the development of new planned residential areas with the invasion of space intended for tourist activity, by far the main industry in the Canary Islands, would be clearly counterproductive by harming the economy of the islands without solving any problem."
The FEHT recalls that the current sector regulations foresee an exceptional situation, articulated through the Canary Islands Land Law, which allows residential use for those situations consolidated before January 1, 2017 and emphasizes that the same autonomous regulation "is blunt regarding the possible generalization of this practice due to the harmful consequences for the activity of tourist complexes."
The tourist businessmen of Las Palmas also emphasize that there is an agreement between the economic and social agents of the Canary Islands on this matter, since the rejection of tourist residentialization has been explicitly expressed by the majority unions in the sector, CCOO and UGT, and by this business association, "which will continue to defend all measures that contribute to the maintenance of economic activity in tourist municipalities, for its commitment to the collective progress of the Canary Islands, with a willingness to dialogue, coherence and respect for the law."