The Lanzarote Tourist Federation (FTL), together with the rest of the sector's employers' association in the Canary Islands, have sent a joint proposal to the Minister of Tourism, Héctor Gómez, which includes several modifications to the regional incentives of the European Union that, according to them, "would result in greater competitiveness of the sector in the islands."
In addition to the FTL, the proposal has been signed by the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Businessmen of Las Palmas (FEHT), the Association of Tourist Businessmen of Fuerteventura (Asofuer), and the Hotel and Extra-Hotel Association of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro (Ashotel).
The tourism employers' associations of the Canary Islands recall that, according to INE data, the accumulated inflation in recent years has been 28.4%. They consider that it is the opportune moment to update the modules currently applied for projects in the Canary Islands by 50% and increase the reduction coefficient applied to hotel modernization projects from the current 60% to 75%.
In addition, they also request the incorporation of modules for 2 and 3-star establishments so that these lower category accommodations can also access regional incentives, given that they have a stable demand in the islands and also need to have access to this financing to proceed with their renovation.
Extension of deadlines and greater assessment of sustainability measures
Another of the proposed modifications is "to increase the assessment of environmental criteria when scoring the files." The employers' association says it has observed that the reports of the Ministry for Ecological Transition usually assign a zero or minimal score to the environmental value of the projects.
Likewise, it is proposed to modify the multiplier criterion used for the allocation of points for job creation, which has been reduced by 37%; the effect is that the increase in the maximum aid ceilings of the new period is diluted by the worse score with which the files are going to be assessed.
Another modification included in the proposal refers to the extension of deadlines, both for the execution of investments and for job creation. In this sense, the proposal of the employers' association recalls that the health and economic crisis derived from the pandemic has lasted much longer than initially planned, which has caused that "many companies are going to have problems to meet the conditions and it is necessary to extend the number of extensions."
Finally, the employers' association asks to reduce the minimum category required for tourism projects to 3 stars in the city and 2 stars in the rest of the destinations and allow extra-hotel tourist establishments to be eligible for subsidies.
