Coinciding with the start of the cruise season, the Department of Tourism and Commerce is developing a "tourist revitalization plan for the city with multiple activities in the commercial streets."
Visitors have already had the opportunity to "contemplate and participate" in these activities throughout these past weekends that have had as scenarios the streets of the commercial and hotel center of Arrecife.
This Wednesday, coinciding with the stopover of the Italian cruise ship Costa Firenze, which is visiting the island for the first time after its launch in 2020, the City Council has added to this revitalization plan the "reception of tourists on the days when they make stopovers in the city's port." This large ship, launched in 2020, is on a two-week cruise, and has arrived in Arrecife after sailing for almost three days from Valencia. This aspect generates a greater local consumption by passengers upon arrival on land, according to data from the cruise industry.
During its stopover in the capital of Lanzarote, the captain of the Costa Firenze offered a reception to the authorities of Arrecife. The mayor and the councilor presented the captain with a plaque with the symbol of Turismo Arrecife, which symbolizes the Puente de las Bolas. Yonathan de León and Eli Merino received from the shipping company a reduced-scale model, cast in steel, with the hull of the cruise ship. Representatives of the Port Authority and Turismo Lanzarote were also present at the reception.
'Revitalization Plan' of Arrecife
Yonathan de León and Eli Merino, have announced at the cruise dock this revitalization plan where "the days with transatlantic stopovers, and every weekend" will be promoted.
The revitalization includes performances by soloists, parrandas or folk groups, acrobats, and workshops for children and adults where they can take a pictorial souvenir of their stay in Arrecife. Tourists who disembark can find, in their walks along Calle Real, or Avenida César Manrique (Ribera del Charco de San Ginés) artisans doing their manual work.
In addition, during the weekends, the Traditional Market of Arrecife is set up, next to the Plaza de Las Palmas, attached to the church of San Ginés, and the stalls of the artisans along Calle Real.
The City Council, the mayor has remarked, wants this "revitalization to be an incentive and motivate the small businesses in the city center to extend their business hours on Saturday afternoons, and achieve opening on Sundays and holidays."
De León has detailed to the media that the city is in "a process of transformation of its streets and public spaces to favor the commercial and hotel sector", which maintain and create employment, as well as "ensure that residents enjoy transiting through the city in which they live."
Merino has developed, jointly with the commercial and hotel sector, this plan with a "reinforcement in tourist information services, to boost the social and commercial activity of the center" of the capital.
The councilor has detailed in the presentation that the revitalization will be "carried out every weekend, even on Friday afternoons", and that their objective is to ensure that "tourists who enjoy their vacations in Lanzarote frequent the capital for their shopping and leisure time."
The City Council is offering with the beginning of autumn, and the cruise season, an incentive in the streets so that residents and tourists enjoy their stays while shopping in local stores, or using the terraces and hotel establishments of Arrecife.
Stopover of the Celebrity Silhouette cruise ship
The arrival of the cruise ship 'Celebrity Silhouette', on a trip from Porto to the Canary Islands, and scheduled for this Wednesday, is moved to Thursday, according to the updated information from the Port Authority. The cruise ship traveled from Porto to Tenerife, where it made a stopover this Wednesday, and will begin its journey to Lanzarote tonight, to arrive early Thursday at the port of Arrecife with about 5,000 passengers.
In addition, for Sunday, October 8, the cruise ship 'Anthem of the Seas' is scheduled, according to the forecasts of the Port Authority, with more than 7000 people (between passengers and crew) on a trip from Lisbon.
