The president of the Cabildo, María Dolores Corujo, has distanced herself from the sustainability award given to the illegal Hotel Princesa Yaiza within the framework of Fitur and has stated that she attended the ceremony "out of respect" for Asolan. This is how she responded to the criticisms from Lanzarote en Pie-Sí Podemos, who described it as a "shame" that Corujo "endorsed" that award and participated in the event.
"Neither the Cabildo of Lanzarote, nor its president, participate in the preparation of that certificate, nor in the selection of the candidate establishments, but it is an initiative of Asolan, in collaboration with the Institute of Responsible Tourism (ITR), a private entity", the institution states in a statement.
Likewise, it affirms that the president of the Cabildo "has not changed or nuanced" her position with respect to the Princesa Yaiza and that she reiterates her "respect for all judicial decisions", as well as her condemnation "of an era and ways that only sought the plunder of the island with a dangerous short-sighted vision".
"It has nothing to do with the Cabildo"
The institution also clarifies that although the certificate awarded to the Hotel Princesa Yaiza is called 'Biosphere Smart', "it has nothing to do with the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve program, nor with the activities of the Cabildo of Lanzarote in that regard".
"The Cabildo's support for Asolan is not a specific support for these non-official certifications, but for the initiatives of the tourism association dedicated to making our island more sustainable and to combining economic development with respect for our environment", it adds.
Thus, the Cabildo affirms that the president attended the award ceremony "as a guest of honor" and "out of respect, both for Asolan and for the other certified establishments, such as the HD Beach Resort, the Arrecife Gran Hotel, the Club La Santa or the Hotel Boutique La Isla y el Mar".
Among the award winners, although neither Lanzarote en Pie-Sí Podemos nor the Cabildo mention it, was also the Sandos Papagayo (the former Papagayo Arena), which was also declared illegal by the Justice and which incurred the greatest breaches, since among other things it was built eliminating access to the beach. Both this hotel and the Princesa Yaiza have partial demolition orders to comply with the sentences that declared them illegal. In addition, former mayor José Francisco Reyes is currently in prison for having granted both these and other illegal licenses in Playa Blanca.
