We are in a somewhat anomalous situation in recent times. The Canary Islands, and especially Lanzarote, are erring in their public message, creating a kind of international insecurity for all those who visit us while generating animosity beyond our borders by using inappropriate terms that would generate legitimate discomfort for any of us.
Can you imagine having the feeling that Canarians are not welcome in a territory, wherever it may be, because we are collapsing the destination? Well, something like that is happening right now. All this because we have seen how in the last legislature, the Socialist Party, governing in Madrid, the Canary Islands and Lanzarote, has used confrontation as a path and has traveled it with an arrogance that incriminates and demonizes. And that's not what it's about.
I am clear that in this movie there are no good guys and bad guys. What we have to achieve is a short/medium-term project that helps us prosper without excluding anyone from the equation, but quite the opposite, involving all parties. We need to implement modernization plans that allow Lanzarote to adapt to the demands of accessibility and mobility required. We need to create pleasant and useful public spaces so that tourist areas find the boost they need. The private sector and the public administration have to join hands and build together a strong and solid fabric, without fissures, that allows the resident to achieve a better standard of living, taking advantage of the benefits that this land in which we live brings us.
Many intentions, expressed in messages, are laudable; they find acceptance and, therefore, the support of public opinion. But one of the great problems we have encountered in Lanzarote is that the actions have not corresponded to the proposals. To carry out any strategic plan, it is necessary to draw up a defined and concrete plan. Normally, for this original idea to be fruitful, a lot of prior and subsequent work is required, which demands dedication. And, the balance that can be drawn from this socialist government is that the prior work has not existed, much less the subsequent one, and one of two things; either there is a lack of dedication or capacity. Be that as it may, the result is the same.
Now, in the usual tone of improvisation that has been the great protagonist in recent years, there is even more emphasis on the famous "eco-tax" as the great savior of everything that is happening to us, but, as there has been no prior study nor have the consequences been analyzed, we are groping in the dark. Its implementation will not only not improve the tourist future but will directly affect the pocket of any neighbor because surely many of you, throughout the year, will want to spend a few days with your family or resting in our archipelago. And they will have to pay extra for activities that already have their corresponding taxes. And what will the tourist who visits us think? That is, the one who is at home looking out the window at the rain falling in Manchester, Dublin, Frankfurt, or wherever, and thinks, if I am not welcome, I collapse the island and also for staying overnight I will have to pay an extra per person that can range between 3 and 6 euros/night, will it be better to choose another destination this year?
Eight out of ten people who are reading this article, directly or indirectly, are engaged in an activity related to tourism, which feeds on this gear and which allowed Lanzarote to advance in Europe fifty years ago.
And this does not mean that anything goes, but it does mean that we have to sit down and work to achieve the perfect balance. For this, desire and capacity are needed; and yes, it can be done. Arrecife has been an example of evolution in a short time. The problems that the capital dragged were so deep that it was dizzying to start tackling the issue, but looking the other way or standing in front of a microphone stating that we are "touristically saturated" is not the solution.
