The ex-president of the Balearic Islands, Francina Armengol, was guest of honour at a debate on Tuesday night about the future of tourism in the Canaries. Organised by the Socialist Party, the event took place at the Fondeadero Centre in Puerto del Carmen.
Armengol described how, during her eight years as President of the Balearics, she oversaw the introduction of a tourist tax, established a moratorium on hotel beds and holiday lets and restricted the arrival of cruisers at the port of Palma in Mallorca.
Armengol described how the tourist tax was intended for environmental purposes, including maintenance of national parks, improvement of the water system on the islands, the creation of social housing and grants to local students in order to promote innovation in tourism.
She also stated the importance of protecting workers in the tourist sector, telling how her government installed higher beds to make the work of chambermaids more easy, as well as enforcing temperatures in kitchens and laundries.
Armengol claimed that the creation of a sustainable tourism model is not only viable, but profitable, and said that the Balearics and the Canaries shared many experiences: “We both know what it’s like to feel that public space is being shared by too many,” she said.
