The regional government has announced a multi-million-dollar investment to "transform" the tourism model, while the archipelago's economic engine has to announce the demolition of crumbling infrastructure.
The Canary Islands Government has announced a €4,1 million investment in six projects to transform the archipelago's tourism model. Digitalization, sustainability, and new economic strategies are the key elements of this plan, which seeks to strengthen the destination's competitiveness.
Among the notable initiatives is "Canary Islands: Volcano Destination," with a budget of €470.000 to market the islands' volcanic landscapes as a tourist attraction. All very interesting, but volcano tourism is hardly a novelty in the Canary Islands, where Timanfaya National Park and Mount Teide have been attracting visitors for decades. The difference now is that they've given it a pompous name and a subsidy.
Other projects include waste management in the tourism sector (because apparently, until now, no one had realized that garbage needed to be managed) and the digitalization of tourism, as if the Canary Islands' problem were that tourists can't book excursions online.
In addition to these projects, the regional government has declared 14 strategic areas to diversify the economy, including health tourism, the blue economy, and the audiovisual sector. It sounds good, but the reality is that the bulk of the Canary Islands' economy continues to depend on tourists who come to bask in the sun and spend money in bars.
Meanwhile, municipalities like San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Mogán, where the bulk of tourism activity is concentrated, continue to suffer from the same old problems: aging tourist areas, skyrocketing prices for residents, and an almost absolute dependence on tour operators.
Playa del Inglés, one of the main economic engines of the island, is a clear example of this contradiction. While talking about of modernization, shopping centers in decline, urban abandonment and lack of real investment continue to affect the image of the destination.
For years, the FEHT has been warning of the urgent need to rehabilitate these spaces, but government agencies still fail to prioritize what truly impacts tourists and business owners. The case of the Metro Shopping Center, whose demolition has just been confirmed after years of neglect, is just the tip of the iceberg of a structural problem.
For years, hoteliers and business owners have been demanding investment plans that go beyond brochures, greenwashing under the banner of sustainability, and marketing strategies. Meanwhile, Playa del Inglés continues to sustain the archipelago's economy, but without receiving the real modernization it needs to compete with other destinations.
The government is once again pushing for a modernization that sounds good in rhetoric, but has little to no real impact on the Canary Islands' most important tourist destination, and one of Spain's main tourist destinations. What good is more sustainable tourism if tourists have to wander among ruins?
