The R factor refers to the ability to multiply a contagion in other individuals. This variable, restricted until recently to the field of epidemiological jargon, has become public domain in the midst of a pandemic dystopia.
An analogy applied to the tourism sector could be made about this term that we now handle so much. In this semantic fiction, the tourist R would reflect the multiplication capacity of a tourist place in a destination over time, until it reaches the point of irremediable saturation. A high tourist R manifests itself in the fact that construction invades natural spaces, forces the oversizing of infrastructures and services, exponentially multiplies vehicles in circulation and, what is worse, causes an excess of supply that inevitably leads to unemployment and poverty.
Betting on a low tourist R does not mean at all ignoring the advantages of a thriving tourism sector. It means focusing on quality over quantity, on uniqueness versus standardization, on innovation versus mass production and, ultimately, on attracting more "sustainable" tourists with greater purchasing power.
In Lanzarote this concept is not new. The Island Council was already a pioneer in the 90s designing a tourist moratorium that managed to paralyze the construction of tens of thousands of tourist places. Despite the criticism and attacks received, it seems undeniable that it at least ensured that the island is much less saturated today than other competing destinations and maintains a good part of its genuine attraction. However, some island towns suffer indelibly from the consequences of an excessive R for decades, in the form of loss of attractiveness, excess construction, lack of public services, low purchasing power of its inhabitants and high unemployment rate.
A high tourist R inevitably leads to the vulgarization of the destination, a scenario of low prices, the inability to attract high-level tourism and, what is more serious, the inviability to position itself in the segment that will surely be the most important in the coming years, that of those demanding sustainable destinations, not massified and respectful of the environment.
The population of Lanzarote always had a special environmental sensitivity and even its first institution was able to arbitrate tools to counteract a high tourist R. In these times I see it much more difficult. Although the economic and health situation and the greater possibility of consensus could play in favor, the lack of an organizational structure to face such a complex challenge is a formidable obstacle. The previous island president, more papist than the pope in his defense of urban predators, was responsible for wasting any structure that could contribute to the defense of the territory.
Perhaps Covid-19 has made more evident than ever the need to adopt models that avoid tourist overcrowding. In fact, Mallorca has just announced its intention to stop mass tourism, establishing a maximum limit of tourist beds that will force the elimination of 120,000 places "as they become obsolete", as reported by La Vanguardia. It will also prohibit vacation rentals in the most saturated areas and will establish important limitations for activity on rustic land, just the opposite of what the Clavijo Government was promoting in the Canary Islands through the Land Law.
It remains to be seen if Lanzarote can once again be at the forefront in the fight for a sustainable tourism model. This requires conviction, the ability to establish consensus, collaboration at the business level and determined and capable promoters. Those who did it in the past were already subjected to the media and political shredder. It remains to be seen if they can now have a replacement.