The headquarters of the Canary Islands Association in Berlin "was too small" to host the presentation of the book 'The Volcano of Tourism. Origins of the Transformation of Lanzarote' by Juan Cruz from Lanzarote, according to the organization. The event was held last Thursday, March 7, on the occasion of the International Tourism Fair in Berlin-ITB.
Damian Peña, president of the entity, welcomed the event and gave a brief account of the association's work, which will celebrate the second decade of its foundation next year 2020. He also thanked all the participants for their collaboration and especially highlighted the association's full willingness to support and serve as a platform for Canary Islands artists and creators in their presentation in this country.
Next, the Canary Islands musician based in Berlin, Nino Díaz, introduced the author, Juan Cruz Sepúlveda, a well-known professor in Lanzarote, and offered an introduction to the extensive pedagogical and informative work on the origins of the island's tourism model and its exclusivity. The presentation in Berlin is number 50.
The talk began with a short video and a powerpoint, which showed a tour of the recent history and evolution of tourism in Lanzarote, highlighting the appearance in Lanzarote of the first desalination plant in the 60s as the "indispensable" starting point for tourism development. The role of César Manrique and his transformation of natural spaces into the current seven Centers of Art, Culture and Tourism was another point of emphasis in Juan Cruz's presentation, who concluded his speech by describing "Lanzarote's tourism model as exclusive and paradigmatic".
The event was attended by representatives of the company CICAR, sponsor of the book, students and professors from the University School of Tourism of Lanzarote and specialized journalists, all of them present in Berlin on the occasion of the ITB fair. At the end of the event, the president of the Canary Islands entity in Berlin received a copy of the publication, which will be part of the library of the Canary Islands house in the German capital.
