The Arrecife City Council plenary session approved in its session this Wednesday imposing a financial penalty of 15,001 euros, and decreeing the closure of a premises, used as a yoga center and tourist accommodation, for lacking a license.
The Classified Activities Area, led by Councilor Óscar López, has been processing this sanction since it was verified by the Local Police that this center, located on Canalejas Street, in the capital of Lanzarote, was carrying out activity without having the mandatory administrative authorizations, as reported by the council in a press release.
The councilor, in the explanations given at the plenary session this Wednesday, detailed that, after the investigation by the Local Police of Arrecife, a sanctioning file was opened against that firm after it was proven that both the activity as a Yoga Center and that intended for tourist accommodation were carried out without the mandatory authorizations.
The file notes that the company pretended to have a "permit as a harmless activity, when very different activities were being carried out", according to the investigation by the capital's Local Police. The Classified Activities Department of the City Council has accredited it as a "very serious infraction" and resolves the closure and the sanction of 15,001 euros.
According to the provisions of the legislation, the company can exercise its claims against this plenary resolution. The plenary agreement this Wednesday had the favorable votes of the Government group (PP and CC) plus the Mixed group (Vox). The PSOE abstained.
Tourism opens another tourist sanction
Óscar López has specified that the plenary resolution is agreed upon with the sanctioning power of the City Councils in matters of activities. And he recalls that it will also be the Ministry of Tourism and Employment that agrees to the probable tourist sanction as it has full powers in matters of regulation of all activities linked to tourism in the Canary Archipelago, including accommodation.
As is known, the City Council announced on July 24 that the inspection report of the Local Police has been sent to the Ministry of Tourism of the Government of the Canary Islands, where it is accredited that this yoga center is dedicated to the activity of tourist accommodation in the capital of Lanzarote without having the mandatory tourist license.
The inspection by the Local Police, carried out last April, accredited that they are offered on accommodation platforms, and confirmed that they carry out their activity without the mandatory and binding administrative authorizations.
The Local Police report accredits that this establishment, located in the ground floor of Calle Canalejas number 25 in the capital of Lanzarote, was advertised as an accommodation establishment on the Booking platform, where images of the bunk beds, bathroom areas, services, and assessment of the hosted guests are inserted. The exterior of the premises is advertised as a yoga center, and the identification plates are not provided as an establishment dedicated to tourist accommodation, as is required in Canary Islands legislation.
The Arrecife City Council had already notified the General Directorate of Planning, Training and Tourism Promotion of the Government of the Canary Islands of the inspection report carried out by the agents of the Local Police. It certifies that "from the outside, the premises do not show signs of activity, as the glass windows on the ground floor are covered by opaque curtains, activity is only intuited by signs located on the door of the premises that reads "NIRVANA YOGA", as well as three others of smaller size suspended on the inner face of the main access door that reads "Cultural Center of Yoga, Meditation...".
The police investigation has allowed to verify that "after searching using "OSINT" techniques, it is located in the Booking accommodation reservation portal an advertisement where this premises is advertised as an accommodation offer".
The inspection of the Local Police in this new establishment dedicated to tourist accommodation, allowed the agents to verify that the person identified as "worker and manager" lacked an employment contract and was not registered with Social Security. After the inspection of the premises, the Local Police requested that this documentation be sent to the Administration. After a long period of time, it was not provided. The investigation by the Arrecife Local Police has determined that the company that carries out the activity is based in the south of the island of Tenerife.
