Lanzarote Responds to the British Press

Lanzarote

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The president of the Cabildo has come out to the "false controversy" that has been generated about British tourism as a result of statements made by María Dolores Corujo in Fitur that have been "misrepresented".

"You cannot clarify something that has not been said. It is flatly false that on the island of Lanzarote we do not want British tourism or that they want to reduce their number. So I will say it once and completely: British tourism will always It has been, is and will be welcome in Lanzarote.

Here on Lanzarote we are also lucky to have an excellent long-time resident British community, a community that is sensitive to the environment and involved in caring for and defending sustainable development for our island. We share our island character with the British and that makes the existence of limits in an insular, fragile and small territory like ours very well understood.

Having said this, I am saddened by the false controversy that has been unleashed around British tourism and that has been fueled by misinformation. Some have taken it out of context and others have intentionally misrepresented the assessment I made about the future of the tourism sector on the island upon my return from the International Tourism Fair in Madrid. I feel obliged to remember that here, in Lanzarote, the controversy has been fueled by a media outlet owned by a hotelier with a court order to demolish one of his establishments.

That said, all tourist destinations attend fairs to show their attractions and capture new markets to diversify the tourism they receive. Lanzarote has also been doing it for years because common sense and the basic laws of the economy advise us not to depend on a single issuing country, especially in times of uncertainty such as those we are experiencing derived from the war in Ukraine. But that does not mean that we do not want those who visit us the most, British tourists, quite the opposite.

Having clarified the above, what the Cabildo de Lanzarote and I as president have said and defend is that it is not possible to continue growing in tourist beds, since the tourist carrying capacity of the island is exhausted.This is not new, since the same thing was already considered by the Cabildo itself in 2003 and it is something shared by the vast majority of the population and the business community.

Betting on increasing beds is going to a destination overcrowding that not only worsens the quality of life of residents, but the tourist experience itself. For this reason, we want to declare the tourist carrying capacity of the island officially exhausted and, at the same time, commit to a rational and lasting development based on quality and the elements that differentiate us as a unique tourist destination in the world. An example of this is our public network of Art, Culture and Tourism Centers.

Therefore, 'tourism development' cannot be confused with 'increase in tourist beds'. Lanzarote receives more than 3 million tourists a year and does not need more accommodation places , but to guide tourism development towards a qualitative and innovative growth of the complementary leisure offer that incorporates new products and experiences for tourists, all of them respectful with the environment. environment".

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