The president of the Confederation of Businessmen of Lanzarote (CEL), Beatriz Salazar, demands that the construction of a Fair and Congress Palace on the island be definitively resumed, understanding that “we cannot continue to give up an infrastructure that is key to attracting professional meetings, fairs, and large events”.
Lanzarote has a recognized tourist brand outside the islands, a large accommodation capacity, and good connections with the main European markets. However, it still lacks a prepared venue to host congresses, conventions, or fairs of a certain size. This deficiency limits its ability to compete with other destinations that incorporated this type of facility into their offerings some time ago.
“We have been talking about this project for too long. Now we need to know what is to be done, how it will be financed, and within what timeframe. Lanzarote does not need another announcement, but a roadmap that allows it to become a reality,” states the president of the CEL, Beatriz Salazar.
She recalls that, in 2019, Gesplan delivered the necessary documentation to the Cabildo de Lanzarote to process its declaration of insular interest, a figure that would allow resolving planning contradictions regarding the classification of the plot and establishing the use and conditions necessary to build the venue.
To this delay was added the disappearance, in 2024, of the 1.2 million euros allocated in the General Budgets of the Autonomous Community, a succession of obstacles that, for the CEL, highlights the need to “move from procedures and announcements to a roadmap with defined deadlines and financing”.
The president explains that a Fair and Congress Palace would open the door to MICE tourism, related to professional meetings, congress travel, and exhibitions. This is an activity that does not end at the venue itself. “Each event generates activity in hotels, restaurants, transportation, commerce, and numerous service companies.”
“When an island hosts a congress, the benefit is shared. Accommodations, restaurants, transporters, audiovisual companies, shops, and many more professionals work. That is why we are talking about an investment that would have effects on a large part of Lanzarote's economy,” explains Salazar.
“It is not about competing with the spaces that already exist, but about completing the offer. Lanzarote has the capacity to organize large events, but it needs a venue worthy of the work its professionals do and of the international image the island projects,” states the president.
She recalls that Lanzarote “already had on the table” a Congress Palace project. After years of announcements, budget allocations, and procedures, the initiative did not materialize and was relegated for a long time.
She asks that the Government of Canarias and the Cabildo of Lanzarote “sit down to work with the business sector to clarify the situation of the project”. The objective must be to resolve pending obstacles, update its characteristics, and agree on a funding and management formula that guarantees its viability.
The Trade Fair and Congress Palace would also allow for expanding the reasons to visit Lanzarote and attracting activity at different times of the year. The island could thus reinforce its presence in the international events market without renouncing its identity or the sustainability model that distinguishes it.
“Lanzarote cannot settle for watching other destinations host the congresses, trade fairs, and meetings that we could also hold here. We have an island known worldwide and a prepared business fabric. What is missing is the infrastructure. Putting it in place would create employment, generate new opportunities, and continue improving our external positioning,” concludes Beatriz Salazar.
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