The Lanzarote MP from the Canarian Nationalist Group (CC-PNC-AHI), Oswaldo Betancort, asked this Tuesday in a parliamentary committee about the digital transformation strategy of tourism in the Canary Islands, which, according to the councillor herself, will have a budget of 53.5 million euros.
"If this figure is correct, and in a first phase 2.5 million will be allocated to start developing this website or digital platform, I would like to know what is the benefit and result expected in the short term, because to begin with it has more budget than what the establishments in the hotel and extra-hotel sector, which remained open, have been able to invoice", Betancort has demanded.
Specifically, in the case of Lanzarote, which has 260 establishments, last February it was possible to invoice 2,388,752 euros, while the sector's income in February 2020 was more than 57.8 million (with all establishments open).
"The tourist portrait of Lanzarote, which closed February 2021 leading the closure of companies in the Canary Islands in percentage terms, and also taking into account the figures for the rest of the Archipelago, shows, once again, that the greater the economic dependence on the tourism sector, the more dramatic the unemployment figures are; and if we talk about Temporary Employment Regulation Files (ERTES), the Canary Islands is the autonomous community with the most workers subject to ERTE compared to the total number of affiliates", recalled the also mayor of Teguise.
Faced with this situation, the parliamentarian lamented all those policies, both Canarian and Spanish, "that leave out the majority of island companies, which also do not improve the social issue or provide a decent working situation for the Canarians".
"Nor has this government been seen to lower taxes for companies or to review the monthly fee for the self-employed. However, and after narrating what our reality is, we see multi-million dollar projects, which should be explained, because we understand that those 53.5 million euros should be used to help those who are unemployed, those sectors that generate it, employment policies that stop the impoverishment of the population, because now it is time to roll up our sleeves and row, fight so that the central government does not continue to leave us out of the aid as it is happening, and get all our people vaccinated as soon as possible to open our Archipelago without risks", he added.
Thus, the CC-PNC-AHÍ deputy assured, "we are facing the worst moment in our history, and we watch helplessly as an Executive that is incoherent in the face of a very serious situation, and we do not feel that anything is being done by this government or the government of Spain to help us".
