The PSOE of Lanzarote has shown its concern about the new campaign announced by the president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, which aims to "transform the way tourists and residents interact with the island." For the socialists, this initiative "is yet another example of the confusion that reigns in the island institution", under the Presidency of Oswaldo Betencort.
“Faced with an overwhelming reality, in which those of us who live in Lanzarote suffer every day the consequences of an overflowing and uncontrolled tourism model, what is needed are forceful measures that lead to a real transformation,” said María Dolores Corujo.
“Since he came to the presidency, Oswaldo Betancort has been staggering. He began by denying the saturation while the number of residents grows at an unsustainable rate, with an unacceptable impact on our environment and on increasingly strained public services. All this, while wages stagnate, working conditions become more difficult and large tour operators skyrocket their profits, creating a perfect storm for the precariousness of working families,” he said.
“These are the reasons that lead people to mobilize, to say loud and clear that the Canary Islands have a limit, that Lanzarote has a limit, and that the time has come to act responsibly. It is not about tourismophobia or being against economic development. It is about putting tourism at the service of our island and our people, and not continuing to sell off the territory and the effort of those of us who live here so that the same people always win,” Corujo stated.
Lanzarote "loses" the values that made it unique
“And faced with this situation, Betancort's response has been to deny the saturation and take refuge in an empty mantra that solves nothing: ‘not one more tourist, not one less tourist’. Lanzarote needs much more than clichés; it needs courage, management and a new direction,” he concluded.
Corujo has warned that “while Betancort launches slogans, the values that made Lanzarote a unique island are rapidly being lost”.
Likewise, he lamented that the island government “is adrift, without a roadmap and groping in the dark, while the effects of an unsustainable tourism model that jeopardizes access to housing, natural resources and the quality of life of the population are worsening”.
“It is not about asking the tourist for affection, but about exercising government responsibly. And that means declaring stressed areas, limiting tourist beds, curbing speculation and betting on a model that puts people at the center,” he added.
From the PSOE they recall that during the last legislature Lanzarote was declared a touristically saturated island, being the first in the Canary Islands to do so, and that the implementation of an ecotax and the limitation of visitors to La Graciosa was defended. “It is not a matter of marketing, it is a matter of courageous decisions and institutional coherence,” Corujo concluded.
Saturation transcends the British press
In addition, the socialist warns that "the image of an overwhelmed island is already beginning to transcend beyond the local sphere. International media, especially British, are beginning to recommend that tourists opt for other less saturated destinations than Lanzarote, which puts at risk not only the territorial balance, but also the tourist reputation built over decades."
“Betancort has given up managing the collapse, and that irresponsibility is already taking its toll. If we do not act decisively, we will not only lose quality of life, we will lose the future of the island,” Corujo concluded.
