The Futurismo 2024 forum, a gathering for entrepreneurs and tourism professionals, concluded its sessions yesterday in the Canary Islands with a poignant debate involving representatives from both hotel and non-hotel sectors. They discussed the current state of tourism in the islands, highlighting several pressing issues.
Victoria López, vice-president of Ashotel, underscored the critical infrastructure challenges faced by Tenerife, describing them as “unquestionable” and expressing frustration over the slow pace of political responses. She highlighted initiatives by the Tenerife employers’ association aimed at finding immediate solutions, including the launch of bus services to transport workers in the tourism sector.
On the topic of residential housing, José Fernando Cabrera, president of the Forum of Friends of the South of Tenerife, highlighted a significant shortfall, noting a deficit of 45,000 homes. He proposed a plan to make 20,000 homes available to local residents by year’s end to help address this issue.
During the discussion on recent street demonstrations, Cabrera shared that a large majority of business leaders support 80 to 90% of the protesters’ demands. He pointed out the public’s growing frustration with persistent queues and the lack of effective measures to address these problems.
Pedro David Díaz, president of the Association for the Enhancement of Rural Tourism on the Island of Tenerife (Tenatur), shed light on the cultural and heritage losses the island is experiencing. He critiqued the outdated tourism and urban planning models that were established 40 years ago and the difficulties in updating these legislative frameworks. Díaz was particularly critical of the holiday homes sector, which he claimed suffers from “regulatory anarchy.”
