Oswaldo Betancort and Vice President Jacobo Medina held their first meeting this Wednesday with the Minister of Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands, Jéssica de León, in which they laid the foundations for a "joint management" between the two administrations to promote a model of "sustainable and quality tourism" for the islands of Lanzarote and La Graciosa.
Betancort thanked the Minister of Tourism of the Government of the Canary Islands for her "empathy and closeness" to Lanzarote. “The Cabildo has constantly bet on the opening of new routes, as well as the diversification of markets. "It is time to project the future and opt for tourist sustainability plans that will make the two islands more competitive and higher quality destinations,” he pointed out.
For his part, Medina emphasized the "importance of the tourism sector" for the island and the need to maintain "direct communication" with the Government of the Canary Islands. “The councilor knows perfectly the needs of Lanzarote and La Graciosa in tourism matters, and I am convinced that her work will bear positive fruit for the future of both islands,” he added.
In her first official visit to the island, Councilor Jéssica de León announced that “a new call for the 'Flight Development Fund' program for Lanzarote will be resumed, which will be attempted to be approved in 2024 in order to attract companies for next winter.”
Likewise, in the meeting with the mayors, De León announced that the Ministry will develop a 'Tourist Infrastructure Plan' by islands "where the only thing that will be asked of the town councils is that the projects have land availability and respond to sustainability criteria."
In addition, the councilor referred to tourism data. “Lanzarote will have the largest regular schedule in history in 2023, with 3.8 million arrival seats.”
“Lanzarote will have the largest regular schedule in history in 2023, with 3.8 million arrival seats”
The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Tourism, José Manuel Sanabria; the general director of planning, training and tourism planning, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez; the general director of Infrastructure, Sustainability and Tourism Quality, Héctor Mateo; the manager of Promotur, José Juan Lorenzo, in addition to the CEO of the Lanzarote Foreign Promotion Society - SPEL, Héctor Fernández, and the president of Asolan, Susana Pérez.
The British market, protagonist in the winter campaign
Air capacity has "grown this summer in Lanzarote by 3% compared to the same period last year." Looking ahead to this winter and 2024, “the prospects continue to be very positive, with an 11% increase in the regular schedule compared to last winter thanks to the strong push from the British market, with 110,000 new seats,” the councilor stressed.
Other markets that will grow substantially will be "the Irish and German markets with 24,000 and 22,000 additional seats", respectively. In addition, this season will incorporate "new destinations to the island's route network: Geneva (Switzerland), Leipzig (Germany), Warsaw (Poland) and Zagreb (Croatia)." “The route from Zagreb is a milestone, since it is the first time that the Canary Islands has a regular route with Croatia,” the councilor highlighted.
Regarding tourist infrastructures, the Ministry has invested in the 2022-2023 financial year "more than 800,000 euros of its own funds" that will be allocated to different actions. In addition, the Cabildo of Lanzarote has approved a 'Tourism Sustainability Plan in Destination' (PSTD) within the ordinary call of 2022, for an amount of "4,950,0000 euros" and a 'Tourism Sustainability Plan in Destination' has also been approved within the extraordinary call of 2023 with "a budget of 8,215,826 euros, financed with Next Generation funds."
The figures are completed, in turn, with other actions of cohesion between destinations. The island institution will receive "two direct subsidies for an amount of 632,000 euros" to put into operation the "fifth container for the separate collection of urban waste" and another of "438,000 euros for the elimination of architectural barriers in the 'Tourist Centers of Lanzarote'", in addition to a "direct aid to the Tinajo City Council for an amount of 1,695,000 euros to launch a dissuasive parking project and transfer in electric shuttles in the surroundings of the Timanfaya National Park."