The Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Gran Canaria has presented this week its new Tourism Commission and its guidelance for ensuing the success of this initiative before representatives of the sector in Gran Canaria.
As informs the Chamber, the presentation was attended by the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Luis Padrón, and the vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce and president of the Commission, Santiago de Armas.
Both highlighted that the Tourism Commission is fundamental for the Chamber because it is the most powerful sector, which generates more wealth and jobs for the islands, while stressing the importance of public-private collaboration to carry out projects that make the sector more competitive.
Luis Padrón stressed that the tourism sector is a sector that needs to be looked after, “and there are several concerns on the table, for example the increase in the price of airline tickets in the immediate future due to a combination of new taxes and green taxes that the European Union will apply to air transport; the excessive bureaucracy that companies have to deal with; and the need to improve services on beaches and their surroundings”.
In this regard, the president also referred to the slowdown in the creation of the European Tourism Agency: “It seems that for the European Commission this project is not a priority, and that also worries us,” he said.
Santiago de Armas explained that the Commission’s lines of work will be to promote major projects, such as the establishment in the Canary Islands of the European Tourism Agency and the headquarters of the Convention of European Tourist Islands; to promote projects that can benefit from the Next Generation European Funds, through the creation of a specific Commission for European funds; to promote training through the creation of an International School of Tourism; among others.
He also stressed the importance of working on a rehabilitation plan for shopping centres in tourist areas, such as Playa del Inglés, San Agustín and Maspalomas, and a plan to strengthen commercial activity in these areas.
Likewise, the president of the Commission assured that work will be done to promote the destination abroad, promoting attendance at trade fairs and trade missions in markets of interest; and economic diplomacy will be worked on to achieve an increase in connectivity.
