The Councilor of the Centers for Art, Culture and Tourism, Ángel Vázquez (Popular Party), has publicly defended the awarding of more than 4.6 million euros (with taxes) to a company from Tenerife to advise the institution on initiatives that "transform" the tourism model of Lanzarote.
Vázquez pointed out in a press release issued this Monday "the strength" of the Strategic Framework of Lanzarote (MET) project and assured that it is "essential to build the sustainable and sustained future that we want for Lanzarote and the CACT."
This contract, which will have four years to be executed with the possibility of being extended for a fifth year, has been awarded to the company Cumbre 8 Islas SL. For Vázquez, this initiative "offers efficient, innovative and effective solutions to the problems derived from a development model that has become obsolete," he explained about a project that proposes measures that promote quality tourism and real benefit for the population of the island.
"It favors the deconcentration of tourism, the deseasonalization of flows and the search for new market niches," he said.
"The MET is the materialization of the much-needed change in the development model that the population demands," said Vázquez.
"A change that builds a tourism industry with better jobs and salaries for its workers, and a more equitable and supportive distribution of the benefits it generates, as defended by César Manrique." "It is, in short, about connecting key sectors to promote this transformation without compromising resources."
Some proposals
According to the Centers in a statement, this project puts "the focus on the tourist, turning him into an active agent in the conservation of a unique territory", but also on the resident, who is "going to benefit from the economic flows generated by the tourism industry from the moment the visitor lands at Guacimeta airport."
Among the most relevant actions, he highlighted the participation of the technical team of the MET in the Plan to Improve Access to Centers (PMAC), led by the CACT. A joint work that he pointed out "will allow an effective response to the accessibility challenge in the Mountains of Fire, significantly improving the visitor experience and the day-to-day life of the resident."
In addition, it proposes that the economic result generated by tourist flows "revert to the population of the island, in a first phase, through measures aimed at strengthening sustainability in the destination with a series of actions aimed at promoting energy self-consumption and reducing the cost of the bill for Lanzarote households."
The MET is also working on "configuring the management and active protection of fragile natural spaces, and promoting the development of a 360º APP to integrate the visitor experience, from the purchase of tickets to digital guides."
A bit of history
Thus, the Centers for Art, Culture and Tourism have defended in the aforementioned statement that "they are a tourist reference as a tool in the management of the tourist offer of the territory, and therefore, they are the ideal vehicle to respond to the social demands of recent years, which are to ensure quality tourism, dimension tourism and that it has a positive impact on all citizens." That is, "to promote the transformation of the tourism model from action and not only from the idea, inspired by the legacy of César Manrique."
"The Tourist Centers were the backbone of the change of this island half a century ago and today we want to be responsible for offering the best answers to the problems that arise to a society and an island, which are not the same as 50 years ago," recalled Vázquez.
The CACT represent a unique model in the Canary Islands, difficult to replicate in other territories. Managing a substantial part of the tourist offer from the public sector and channeling the resources generated towards strategic transformation objectives is an opportunity that not all islands have today and that Lanzarote must lead.
Under that premise, "they promoted the contracting of an ambitious project, up to the existing challenge: helping to transform the tourism model, together with other institutions such as the Cabildo and the SPEL," he defended. In this sense, he added that "tourism is not only the companies and workers who directly provide their activity in it, but it transcends its borders and impacts the management of water, energy, mobility, housing, that is, in the life of the resident. Transforming tourism means transforming the island."
Finally, he recalled that "the Strategic Transformation Framework was awarded a process that is available on the State Contracting Platform of the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Spain."
