The Leoncio Bento de Agulo square hosted, this Saturday, the institutional act of awarding the distinction as one of the most beautiful towns in Spain. This recognition, made public last May by the Association of the Most Beautiful Towns of Spain, places this town among the 104 towns in the country that already have this accreditation, becoming the first in La Gomera to achieve it.
The town of Agulo was illuminated on a night marked by references to the history and the commitment of the citizens of this town so that today it maintains patrimonial, cultural and landscape values that have made it worthy of the distinction. This was highlighted by the mayor, Rosa María Chinea, during the intervention with which the event was opened and in which she highlighted the opportunity that this recognition represents in terms of tourism promotion and economic revitalization.
“We are a humble, hospitable people, loaded with stories and cultural references. Facts that allow us to work so that being one of the most beautiful towns is the incentive for visitors to come here, stay here and consume here. It is what we want, in a clear commitment to consolidate rural tourism, which is in line with Agulo’s own idiosyncrasy “, he said, before thanking the people, groups and public administrations that during this time have committed to the project .
For his part, the president of the Cabildo, Casimiro Curbelo, valued the feeling of a society marked by a cultural roots and traditions that have endured over the centuries, and that have left illustrious figures such as the painter José Aguiar . “It is evident that today we should feel proud of being where we are, of feeling what we feel in this place and witnessing a moment that I hope marks a turning point for this town, which we must pamper from the public to face the terrible consequences that the rural exodus has in enclaves like this one ”.
In this sense, Curbelo emphasized investment programs to encourage economic diversification through the primary sector, crafts and tourism. In addition, he detailed the progress of planned projects such as the construction of the North Social Health Center, which will go in this town and whose project is already being drawn up, as well as the construction of the cable car that will connect the town of Agulo with Abrante, and which is also written in these moments. “To this we must add a game of 400 thousand euros of funds from the Island Corporation that will be dedicated to a conservation plan for the architectural heritage of this town,” he said.
The Regional Minister of Tourism, Yaiza Castilla, had words in her speech for the five Canarian municipalities that are part of this select list, such as Tejeda, Betancuria, Teguise, and the recently distinguished Agulo and Garachico and pointed out that “it has been a long time since it was clear that we are much more than sun and sand.
“The charm of our towns,” he added, “is another of our important strengths, and I’m not saying it, since there are already five Canarian towns that have been recognized among the most beautiful in Spain.” For all this, he said that it is “very understandable that the Canary Islands is one of the main tourist destinations in the world.”
Regarding Agulo, the Minister of Tourism of the Government of the Canary Islands highlighted its privileged views, the greenery that surrounds it and its narrow streets “that transport us to another moment in our history, that surround us with nostalgia and respect for those who built them and traveled ago. centuries”. A respect that he extended to the residents of Agulo today, “who have known how to keep this beauty and this heritage intact,” he said.
Regarding investments, he recalled that his department has just awarded a 300,000 subsidy to this City Council for a beautification plan that affects the improvement of its image and enhances its tourist offer.
Association of the most beautiful towns in Spain
The Association of the Most Beautiful Towns in Spain, created in 2001, annually grants this distinction to different towns in the Spanish geography, with the aim of promoting rural areas and small municipalities, as well as promoting, disseminating, fostering and preserving heritage cultural, natural and rural of these geographic areas.
The president of the association, Francisco Mestre, participated in the institutional act in which he had the opportunity to highlight that “Agulo is a town with great potential, and this recognition marks the beginning of the path of tourist excellence and its beautification”. He also appealed to the importance of this distinction “to place Agulo on the map of high-quality tourism in the country.”
