The Cabildo of Lanzarote has commissioned a study from a specialized consultant to launch a project, with specific measures, to revitalize the bay of Arrecife and turn it into the epicenter of nautical tourism. This project is born through Turismo Lanzarote and the European Sport Destination project.
The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, presided over the first working table held at the Marina Innova Hub of Lanzarote, with the presence of the Minister of Sports, Juan Monzón, and representatives of the tourism and nautical sector of the island, in which an outline of the revitalization project was presented.
“In my speech on the occasion of World Tourism Day I referred to the obligatory look towards Arrecife as the capital of the Biosphere Reserve of Lanzarote. And that look involves transforming the Arrecife seafront into a whole, a meeting place for citizens for the development of sports, fishing and nautical activities”, said Oswaldo Betancort at this meeting, in which the project was shared with the intention of knowing proposals and needs of the different areas of nautical and tourism.
The overall objective of the project is to strengthen the positioning of Lanzarote as a nautical destination in the international tourism context through the structuring of Arrecife as a provider of private products and services, under public infrastructures and equipment.
“The blue economy is not an illusion, it is an instrument that we have at our fingertips. It is unquestionable that Arrecife must live facing the sea and for this, as an island administration, we must facilitate this transformation of our coastline”, said the president of the Island Corporation and head of the Department of Tourism.
As associated objectives of this project, it is intended to orient the children's and youth education of residents towards the sea with cultural activities, promote the economic and tourist revitalization of Arrecife around the nautical product, and redefine the bay of Arrecife, with the Islote La Fermina as a platform, towards nautical activity.
Work methodology
Initially, the specialized consultant will prepare a diagnosis, which includes the creation of working tables with public, business and nautical profiles, based on the fact that Arrecife as capital does not participate in the tourist itinerary that is carried out globally throughout the island. In other words, there is a significant deficit in the conception of Arrecife as a tourist enclave, lacking the structuring of supply and services essential to play the role that corresponds to it as the capital of a consolidated destination such as Lanzarote.
Except for the important fishing phenomenon that emerged in the 70s, and consequently the canning industry, the sea has not been a livelihood for Lanzarote in a generalized way. The generation of a “blue economy” that comes from the revitalization of activities on our coastline has always been a subject lacking sufficient resources and initiatives, according to the outline of the revitalization project.
The revitalization project will carry out a diagnosis of the capital's capacity to achieve the objectives, through previous studies, the creation of a table of experts, field work, visits to the facilities and with the SWOT analysis method that collects the weaknesses, threats, strengths and opportunities of Arrecife as the nautical capital of the island.
The action plan contemplates actions in different areas: infrastructure, commercial, awareness, training, promotion of the nautical product in the value chain, a business plan “Arrecife Nautical Station” and “Islote de la Fermina as a nautical and recreational platform of Arrecife”.