The capital of Lanzarote experienced a special night this Monday with the presentation of the Isla de Lanzarote award and Distinguished Tourism Awards 2023, in an act held in an unusual location, the Plaza de Las Palmas in Arrecife, within the acts of commemoration of World Tourism Day, which is commemorated on September 27th.
More than 300 guests, including the Minister of Tourism of the Government of the Canary Islands, Jéssica de León, witnessed the presentation of awards and distinctions to the "architects of Lanzarote's progress towards quality and tourism qualification", as stated in his speech by the president of the Cabildo de Lanzarote and the Society for the Promotion of Foreign Lanzarote, SPEL, Oswaldo Betancort.
In front of a square decorated for the event, and with the presence of all the representatives of the tourism sector, the president of the Cabildo said that the winners "are part of the value chain of the sector and have put all their effort so that this island is today one of the most admired and demanded tourist destinations in the world", as stated by the president of the Cabildo de Lanzarote and La Graciosa.
The Dutch tour operator Sunweb Group received the Isla de Lanzarote Award, while the Grand Teguise Playa Hotel, the Acatife Cultural Association and Antonio Cruz Díaz, posthumously, were the Distinguished Tourism figures in the categories of Tourist Companies, Events/Manifestations of Cultural Interest and Personalities, respectively. Special Mentions were also given to the companies Turismark Management, Bodegas La Florida, Festival Mar en Calma and Hotel Boutique Palacio Ico.
The president of the Cabildo justified the new location of the award ceremony in the well-known Plaza de la Iglesia de San Ginés, pointing out that "Arrecife must occupy its space as the tourist capital of Lanzarote". In this sense, he stressed that the Island Corporation will recover the project of Arrecife as the capital of the Biosphere Reserve.
Regarding the main award of the night to the tour operator Sunweb, the president of the Cabildo stressed that "in the process of promotion and development of tourism on the island has been fundamental, from the early beginnings of the industry back in the 60s, the role of tour operators. Our gratitude and that of the entire society of Lanzarote, for their commitment to the island and our sincere congratulations for receiving this year the Isla de Lanzarote award".
Manrique, the Biosphere Reserve and the accommodation plant
The president of the Cabildo de Lanzarote began his speech by referring to two key dates of the day and of this year 2023. "Today, September 25, marks 31 years since that fatal traffic accident at the Tahiche roundabout that took the life of our most universal artist, César Manrique," said Betancor, who praised the importance of the legacy of the Lanzarote artist.
"His struggle for environmental conservation and his advanced vision of how man's intervention in nature should be, materialized in Centers of Art, Culture and Tourism that are authentic jewels of architecture and landscaping, dazzled us in such a way that his thinking and his proposals on ecology and the environment have created in the citizenry a legion of faithful followers of his theses that has also reached the activity and actions of the entire society, both in the public and private spheres," said Betancort in his speech.
The other key date that the president of the first island institution wanted to highlight was the 30th anniversary of the designation of Lanzarote as a World Biosphere Reserve: "This year 2023 and the following years, the Cabildo de Lanzarote will continue working with the greatest possible social consensus, and with all our efforts, to continue being worthy representatives of that Declaration, following the roadmap that we set 30 years ago. Together we will reactivate the Biosphere Reserve Council and launch the Arrecife project, capital of the Biosphere Reserve".
Oswaldo Betancort did not want to forget in his speech the fundamental role that the good relationship between the public administration and private companies has for the sector. "The result of this collaboration is a clear example, according to him, the SPEL itself, made up of the public and private sectors".
He also highlighted the role that the island's tourist companies have played in the development of the island towards quality and excellence tourism. "From the SPEL and from the Cabildo de Lanzarote we want to make special mention of the important effort that the island's accommodation plant has made in improving its facilities. More than 20 establishments have been renovated or changed category to offer greater quality and comfort to our visitors".
The winners and their merits
The designation of the winners was agreed unanimously by the members of the Board of Directors of the Society for the Promotion of Foreign Lanzarote, SPEL, at the beginning of last August.
The Council, made up of members of the Cabildo; of the CACT Lanzarote; of the seven Town Councils of the Island; Asolan; Chamber of Commerce of Lanzarote and La Graciosa; Tourist Federation of Lanzarote, Felapyme, and the University School of Tourism of Lanzarote as a guest.
Sunweb Group, Isla de Lanzarote Award, is one of the online tour operators in the Netherlands with the highest reputation in Europe for the sale of vacation packages for families to sun and beach destinations.
Sunweb, founded in the early nineties, has gone from 5 percent to 30 percent of the Dutch market share for the island of Lanzarote.
Its rapid growth makes it now in third place in the ranking of companies in the tourism sector in the Netherlands by annual turnover and number of tourists.
As far as the destination is concerned, for Sunweb the island of Lanzarote is one of its priorities for marketing in the coming winter-summer seasons, currently occupying the second place in sales in the Canary Islands.
In the section of Distinguished Tourism, in the category of Tourist Companies, the Grand Teguise Playa Hotel received its award.
The Grand Teguise Playa Hotel is an example of the commitment to excellence of the destination. Located on the beachfront; it opens to the sea within the quiet and exclusive residential area of Costa Teguise, on the shores of El Jablillo Beach.
With a total of 300 renovated rooms, the Hotel is today a source of pride for Lanzarote, also specializing in the sports tourism segment, through golf, is part of the European Sports Destination. Promoting the island for lovers of this sport.
In the category of Events and Cultural Manifestations, it has been wanted to distinguish the Acatife Cultural Association, founded in the Villa de Teguise and which this year has also celebrated its fortieth birthday.
Canarian popular music has in Acatife one of its most genuine representatives, with 8 recorded albums, its work goes far beyond the songs, since its main mission is the research, recovery and dissemination of the folklore of the island, taking its work outside our borders, the national territory and extending its popular culture to countries such as Germany or France.
In the category of Personalities, the distinction is posthumously for one of the people who has done the most for the integration and union of the island's tourism sector, Antonio Cruz Díaz.
A man who started as a porter at the Hotel Parque de Las Palmas. He moved to the capital of Gran Canaria from his native Teseguite. In Las Palmas he trained at the University School of Tourism and on his return to Lanzarote he became an active and entrepreneurial businessman.
His commitment to the tourism and business sector led him to the treasury of AETUR and the Chamber of Commerce and the Tourist Federation of Lanzarote, of which he was also a founding member in 2019. A Federation that was a historic achievement in the integration of all tourist activities in the same organization.
Antonio Cruz was also part of the hotel employers' association ASOLAN and the Board of Directors of the Society for the Promotion of Foreign Lanzarote, SPEL. He left us this year and this distinction is our small, but sincere tribute to his great contribution to the tourism industry.
In the Special Mentions this year, emphasis has been placed on the great future that our tourism industry has in different segments of the value chain, as they are entrepreneurial initiatives linked to the youth of its promoters.
In this area, a Special Mention was given to the company Turismark Management, Bodegas La Florida, the Festival Mar en Calma and the Hotel Boutique Palacio Ico. New technologies, the enhancement of the primary sector, the commitment to culture and the exclusivity of the accommodation offer have been valued by the jury as fundamental and enriching factors of the destination.
Turismark Management is made up of a group of young professionals, experts in hospitality and tourism who have innovation as their strong point, offering a professional service tailored to each client, from business and marketing strategies to commercial audits.
Bodegas La Florida is an exceptional place in La Geria that captivates with its volcanic and natural beauty. Its owner began making wine in 2012, taking advantage of the old wine press that was in perfect condition, and producing a broth under the Jameo brand. The winery, built in the first half of the 19th century and later rehabilitated, is an example of traditional architecture.
Culture has a prominent reference with the special mention for the Festival Mar en Calma, a project that was born in the municipality of San Bartolomé, and that has managed to bring together a diverse and multidisciplinary offer that embraces different artistic expressions, from theater, music, literature, cinema or dance. It was launched in 2008 and a year later it receives the name of Festival Mar en Calma. An unmissable event on the last Saturday of each month of July in the town of Playa Honda.
And finally, Special Mention is given to the Hotel Boutique Princesa Ico in the Villa de Teguise, an 18th century building, and the only emblematic hotel in Lanzarote declared by the Government of the Canary Islands for the historical and heritage value of the building in which it is located, within the BIC of the Historic Site of the Villa de Teguise.
It was in 2015 when its current owners converted it into the current hotel with 9 rooms. The old Casa Cuartel of the Civil Guard of Teguise, also known as Palacio de Princesa Ico, is included in the Catalog of Heritage and Architectural Protection of Teguise.