SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Nov. 2 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce of the Government of the Canary Islands, Yaiza Castilla, said this Tuesday that the decarbonisation of the tourist economy is already an “unstoppable process” and is becoming an increasingly relevant factor in the travel decision of tourists, hence the Executive has reserved 13.4 million euros in terms of digitization and sustainability in the 2022 budgets.
This conclusion emerged from all the meetings that the Canary Islands Tourism team, led by the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Yaiza Castilla, has held with the main tour operators and airlines – Jet2, easyJet, Eurowings and TUI UK, among others. – since the World Travel Market (WTM) was inaugurated last Monday.
“If during the pandemic health security has played an important role when choosing the destination in which to enjoy the holidays, now decarbonization is taking a greater weight in making this decision,” said Yaiza Castilla in London.
Aviation is responsible for 5% of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide and although companies that fly with the Canary Islands are not obliged to offset their CO2 footprint due to the fact that the archipelago was exempt due to its distance from the mainland, the Airlines want to make this commitment because the customer demands it as well.
In fact, tourism agents as important as easyJet or Jet2 announced that they will undertake million-dollar investments in 2022 to offset their carbon footprint and execute their sustainability plans.
“Climate neutrality is one of the protagonists of the ‘Destination Canary Islands’ strategy, which we began in 2020 and which, among other measures, provides for the creation of a single digital platform for administrations and companies in which decarbonisation occupies a prominent place” the counselor recalled.
Precisely, this platform is where, before the end of the year, a pilot experience will be offered that will make available to companies a series of tools that allow them to measure their carbon footprint and carry out their decarbonization plans and establish compensation strategies .
The ‘Canarias Destino’ strategy also includes the creation of a B2B Marketplace (companies with companies), which aims to “build the tourist product with the highest possible degree of Canarian product to increase its circularity and reduce CO2 emissions” Castilla explained.
INCREASE IN ZERO KILOMETER PRODUCTS
By putting suppliers in contact, that is, companies in the primary, commercial, industrial and service sectors with Canary Island tourism companies, “we will build a more sustainable economy thanks to the increase in the zero kilometer product,” concluded the counselor.
A necessary measure, then, as was evident after the meetings with the main tour operators, they will prioritize those accommodation establishments whose sustainability is officially certified.
Castilla participated in all these actions with the representatives of the seven councils on tourism, with whom he met on Tuesday morning accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Teresa Berástegui, the Director General of Tourism Planning and Promotion, Ciprián Rivas , and the managing director of Promotur Turismo de Islas Canarias, José Juan Lorenzo.
Castilla conveyed the need for “the whole of destiny to go hand in hand in this strong commitment to decarbonization, as it has done for years with promotion, sharing the same tools and strategies to gain efficiency”.
