The mayor of Adeje and president of the AMTC wishes that the
co-governancemake «tourism a generator of wealth and a distributor of wealth»
ISLAND EXPRESS / Adeje
José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga has assumed the presidency of the Alliance of Tourist Municipalities of Spain (AMT) in the framework of a joint meeting with the Association of Tourist Municipalities of the Canary Islands (AMTC). The mayor of Adeje, and president of the AMTC, announces when he takes office that he will work to achieve a strategic plan for tourism.
«We need co-governance and at the moment the harmony with the rest of the administrations is great. We all need to generate a strategic plan for tourism that is a generator of wealth and a distributor of wealth, that generates good training, good employment, good services and in the welfare fund for citizenship. This is the great commitment that the AMT and the AMTC seek, «said Rodríguez Fraga.
The meeting of the AMT and the AMTC took place in the Costa Adeje Tourism Development Center (CDTCA), where mayors, mayors and councilors of the 18 tourist municipalities of both alliances have met, representing destinations that bring together the 44 % of overnight stays in Spain.
This tourist summit was attended by the mayor of Benidorm, Antonio Pérez, who has handed over the presidency of the AMT to Rodríguez Fraga. Also mean the presence of the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres; the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism of the Government of Spain, Reyes Maroto, where appropriate by videoconference; the president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Pedro Martín; the mayor of Mogán and vice president of the AMTC, Onalia Bueno; and the president of the Canarian Federation of Municipalities (Fecam), Mari Brito; in addition to representatives of the business, trade unions and diplomatic corps.
José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga told the media that gathered at the CDTCA that «the tourist municipalities seek to position ourselves to participate in solving the problems that arise. That was said in a community like ours and in a country like ours. , where tourism is basic. That is why destinations have to play an important role due to our experience. «
«We have a financing problem that has not been resolved. We need that financing to attend the services. On the other hand, we must provide content with all those messages that come to us from Europe: ecological transition, competitiveness, sustainability, digitization. A work that we must do together, businesses and administrations. We must give a concrete content to those words. We must adapt tourism to future needs, for all this that pact for tourism of which I speak, to cause a change of era, «he added the mayor of Adeje.
«Tourism has been and is the economic engine of the Canary Islands and Spain, but it can be improved. Faced with this challenge, we detected sensitivity and that is why we are going to work together with the rest of the administrations to be present in the decision-making centers,» said Rodríguez Fraga.
The president of the AMT and AMTC was questioned by the questions that loom over the immediate future due to the rebound in COVID-19 infections at this time in Europe, noting that «we have had a very good start, with high demand. But obviously we are concerned about the growing uncertainty. We do not quite understand that there are people who do not want to be vaccinated. In that, we Spaniards have taught a lesson. «
Rodríguez Fraga took advantage of the event to congratulate Antonio Pérez for his management as president of the AMT de Sol y Playa, characterized by his defense of the interests of the Alliance member destinations and the sector as a whole.
For his part, Antonio Pérez, mayor of Benidorm, wanted to highlight the growing importance that the AMT de Sol y Playa has in the sector and the need to continue being an exemplary and unique alliance that defends the interests of tourism policies that are being worked on from these destinations.
Minister Reyes Maroto took advantage of her intervention to point out that «at this moment we are on the path of recovery and this has to do with the success of vaccination. I want to value the efforts of mayors and mayors in protecting tourism activity The sector has suffered a lot in this pandemic and that is why we have turned to helping it. Spain is a safe destination and we are attracting tourism again. We are still far from the 2019 figures, but on the road to recovery. «
Ángel Víctor Torres said that «I appear in this forum with the joy that causes us that the Council of Ministers has approved the Tourism Sustainability Plan, with almost 50 million for Canarian projects». The President of the Government of the Canary Islands expressed his satisfaction with the beginning of the recovery and launched the idea that «the Islands should take advantage of the situation to take a leap towards sustainability.» Torres pointed out that the challenge for the future will be to adapt to the new tourism and applauded the commitment of the municipalities and the business community to «the tractor projects.»
Pedro Martín stated that “the Cabildo de Tenerife is very clear that tourism is a fundamental pillar of the economy and employment and that is why we have endeavored to strengthen the sector with the priority objective of sustainability. We are awaiting the messages we receive from the municipalities and the business community in order to anticipate and respond to the needs that arise”. In addition, Martín considered that “the definition of a tourist municipality should be the great objective for the future and I encourage you to continue on that path. I believe that the councils have a lot to contribute at the present time and thus, together, we come out of the current situation strengthened. «
José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga announced that the AMT and the AMTC will donate 50,000 euros to the island of La Palma to help alleviate the effects of the eruption of the CumbreVieja volcano. The president of both associations announced the intention of holding a meeting on the Isla Bonita next December to show that solidarity and help the economy of La Palma as much as possible.
