The PSOE denounces that Oswaldo Betancort has authorized "more than 2000 tourist beds"

Corujo points out that in the last Governing Council of the Cabildo, another hotel with 170 accommodation units and a total of 407 places has been authorized on plot 214 of Costa Teguise.

November 25 2024 (14:21 WET)
Updated in November 25 2024 (14:21 WET)
Loli Corujo, Island Secretary of the PSOE
Loli Corujo, Island Secretary of the PSOE

The PSOE of Lanzarote has denounced the recent authorization granted by the Cabildo of Lanzarote for the construction of a new hotel in Costa Teguise, with more than 400 places. This agreement, approved by the Governing Council of the Cabildo, will allow the entity TOSCOLANZ S.L. to build a four-star hotel establishment, with 170 accommodation units and a total of 407 places on plot 214 of Costa Teguise.

The island secretary of the PSOE in Lanzarote and deputy in Congress has denounced that "since Oswaldo Betancort assumed the presidency, more than 2000 new tourist places have been authorized in projects such as the tourist apartment complex in Costa Teguise with 292 places, the hotel in Playa Blanca that will add another 684 places and the 765 beds authorized with the license to the illegal hotel Papagayo Arena. These figures show an excessive expansion of the tourism model that, according to the PSOE, is taking the island to the limit."

The island secretary of the PSOE in Lanzarote and Deputy in Congress, María Dolores Corujo, has lamented that this new concession is "another example of the lack of responsibility and the lies of Oswaldo Betancort." "He has repeatedly deceived the citizens, promising that there would not be one more tourist on the island, while he continues to grant licenses irresponsibly, ignoring the warnings about the saturation of the territory," he denounced.

Corujo recalled that "Betancort has known since his inauguration the results of the island's carrying capacity study, which warns about the limits of infrastructure and resources. Despite this, he has continued to authorize new projects, intensifying the pressure on an already exhausted tourism model." "In recent years, he has given the green light to the construction of two hotels and an apart-hotel, in addition to authorizing the Papagayo Arena hotel, the largest urban and tourist aberration in Lanzarote," he stressed.

 

Lanzarote, to the limit

In this context, the PSOE has urgently defended the need for a moratorium on the granting of new tourist licenses. The socialists warn that the saturation of the current tourism model already seriously affects the quality of life of residents. "The moratorium must be the first step to rethink the tourism model. We cannot continue to expand the number of beds without guaranteeing the sustainability of our territory and the quality of life of our neighbors. Lanzarote is on the verge of collapse," said Corujo.

María Dolores Corujo has also criticized Oswaldo Betancort and Fernando Clavijo for having failed the social groups that have raised their voices against the mass tourism model. "Movements such as Canarias Palante, which represents more than 70 social and environmental organizations, have led an exemplary participatory process with more than 1,200 citizen proposals to rethink the development model of the archipelago. And what was the response of the Government of Clavijo and Betancort? Ignore them. Not only did they refuse to meet with them to listen to their demands, but, opportunistically, they appropriated the discourse of the change of model to create tables of experts chosen by hand, completely excluding citizens and social groups," he criticized.

 

"They insult people's intelligence"

Corujo has added that these tables, designed in an opaque manner, "are a sign of the lack of real will" to promote a change in the tourism model. "While the citizens of the Canary Islands work organized to rethink the model of the archipelago, the government makes a charade that only seeks to get by insulting people's intelligence."

Finally, María Dolores Corujo has reiterated "the need to listen to citizen demands and take courageous measures to stop the excessive expansion of the tourism sector, betting on a model that respects the environment, the identity of the island and the living conditions of its inhabitants."

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