Canarian Tourism and Chamber of Commerce promote promotion, quality and sustainability

 

The Minister of Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands, Jéssica de León, and the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Gran Canaria, Luis Padrón, have signed a collaboration agreement for the development of joint actions in the field of tourism that result in improved sustainability and quality in the sector. The agreement has a duration of four years, extendable for another four years. 

 

 

For Jéssica de León, this agreement “opens the door for us to work in public-private collaboration with the four chambers of commerce of the Canary Islands, starting with that of Gran Canaria, to strengthen ties with the companies that make up the different chambers, and will allow, among other actions, to strengthen commercial and tourist routes with incursions into countries mainly in Eastern Europe, such as Croatia and Romania, where we have strong connectivity.”

 

Likewise, De León stated that “we will develop joint actions linked to training, with the aim of reducing the gap between labour supply and demand, and covering those 70.000 jobs that remain vacant on the islands due to a lack of professionals.” In addition, he pointed out that studies will be carried out focusing mainly on sustainability and quality and he announced that one of the first actions will be the holding of conferences on decarbonisation and energy efficiency and innovation associated with companies in the tourism sector.

 

 

 

For his part, the president of the Chamber, Luis Padrón, highlighted that the signing of this agreement “represents a crucial step for the Chamber, since it is the first time that both institutions have established a formal collaboration agreement regarding the promotion and positioning of our island as a tourist destination of excellence.” This agreement underlines the importance of public-private collaboration, which “we consider to be key to promoting the sustainable development and competitiveness of the tourism sector on our island.” Likewise, the president of the Chamber pointed out that “thanks to this first collaboration with the Department of Tourism, we will have the opportunity to organize trade missions, participate in international fairs and facilitate the presence of our companies at global events. This will not only promote the internationalization of tourism companies in Gran Canaria, but will also attract new investors and international partners interested in sustainable and quality tourism projects.”

 

Among the actions that will be carried out within the framework of the agreement are trade missions in different countries and the organisation or participation in conferences abroad, facilitating the participation of companies from Gran Canaria in these events. It also includes the organisation of international events to promote tourism on the island of Gran Canaria.

 

On the other hand, the needs of companies in the field of tourism will be identified in order to identify new lines of assistance or training. In addition, joint studies and research will be carried out, promoted by the Tourism Observatory, dependent on the Vice-Ministry of Tourism of the Government of the Canary Islands, especially in matters of quality and tourism sustainability.

 

The design and planning of specialized training programs in these areas, adapted to the needs and demands of the Gran Canaria business community, and the collaboration with experts and professionals in the sector to teach courses, workshops and seminars that address these matters, is another of the objectives of this agreement, which will also include the promotion and dissemination of training activities among companies, entrepreneurs, and other actors in the business ecosystem, with the aim of fostering a culture of continuous learning and updating in the field of tourism.

 

In general, the Department of Tourism and Employment and the Chamber of Commerce of Gran Canaria undertake to collaborate in communication, promotion, awareness-raising and training activities on tourism quality and sustainable tourism, as well as to design specific communication and awareness-raising activities and campaigns on good practices in sustainable tourism and the positive socio-economic impact of these practices on tourism.

 

The parties will draw up a joint work plan that includes the activities planned to be carried out within the framework of the agreement. This plan will be annual and will be approved by both parties in the Joint Monitoring Committee created for this purpose.