The Lanzarote Foreign Promotion Society (Turismo Lanzarote-SPEL) will have a budget of 3,727,031.32 euros in 2019. The Board of Directors of the island's promotional entity held this Monday approved this forecast of income and expenses for the next financial year, which represents an increase of 2.27% compared to the current year.
The Cabildo points out that the contributions made by the partners will continue to be the main source of income for Turismo Lanzarote in 2019, amounting to 2,824,000 euros. Among them, the Cabildo itself is the majority partner, increasing its contribution by 46,000 euros to reach 2.3 million euros, as well as the seven Town Halls, EPEL-CACT and Asolan. An increase in income from new private sponsors is also estimated, with total contributions of 110,000 euros expected.
In this sense, the Councilor for Tourism Promotion of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Ángel Vázquez (PP), highlighted "the consolidation of the mixed management model assumed by Turismo Lanzarote-SPEL through public-private collaboration, which has undoubtedly enriched the promotional actions carried out thanks to the experience and knowledge provided by the more than 70 sponsoring companies that have been incorporated since 2013".
In the expenditure section, Turismo Lanzarote will continue to increase the items allocated to the promotion of the island in international markets, forecasting 1,534,000 euros for this section. In this sense, the item allocated to the Spanish market will increase by 65,000 euros to reach 305,000 euros. The amounts allocated to alternative markets, such as the Polish, Hungarian or Portuguese markets, will also increase, "in order to reduce dependence on the British market and in anticipation of the scenarios that may arise from Brexit", said Ángel Vázquez.
"Quality versus quantity"
The councilor highlighted, on the other hand, and "as a continuation of the line undertaken to prioritize the attraction of quality tourists with greater purchasing power, compared to quantity", the incorporation of specific items for the promotion of new tourism products such as rural or cruise tourism at fairs and other types of events, an area to which a total of 772,449.80 euros is expected to be allocated.
Another "important" investment commitment in 2019 will continue to be the so-called 'Destination Strategy', which will have 345,442.73 euros and will include ambitious projects such as the 'Tourism Marketing Innovation' project financed with 150,000 euros through FDCAN funds and the 'Tourism Intelligence Platform', "a technological platform that will benefit the positioning of the destination, the search for the best market segment, in line with our product lines", said Ángel Vázquez.
In another order of things, the Board of Directors of Turismo Lanzarote-SPEL approved the support program for the Technical Offices of the Local Corporations entrusted by the Department of Territorial Policy of the Government of the Canary Islands to Gesplan, "which will contribute to streamlining the procedures provided for in the municipal ordinances to carry out audiovisual recordings on the island, and thereby to the consolidation of the Lanzarote Film Commission project".