The councilthrough the insular tourism area who drives Laura Castrohas distinguished the six winners of the fourth edition of the contest Sustainable Tourism Practices. The initiative recognizes good work in the area of sustainability companies and public or private entities. At the call for the contest in 2021, 23 projects were submitted. The winners have been Parque Estelar Starlight Camino Barranco Badajoz, the City Councils of Candelaria and Tegueste, the Santa Bárbara Golf and Ocean Club Complex, the Teide Cable Car and the Pirámides de Güímar Ethnographic Park. The awards ceremony took place within the framework of the Sustainable DNA Tenerife event, held at the Museum of Nature and Archeology (MUNA). Laura Castro has stressed the role of sustainability in Tenerife’s strategy as a destination and the importance of involving as many entities as possible to consolidate a new development model with a balance between a quality tourist experience and the conservation of resources.
“Thanks to the joint work of Turismo de Tenerife and the Centers for Initiatives and Tourism (CIT), we have managed to get more and more companies to receive notions of sustainability,” Castro values. He adds: “They are advised and supported by the destination to join initiatives that add value to the tourist offer.” Castro has announced that there are already 300 companies on the Island that have joined the Biosphere Sustainable platform, to “advance the tourism model of sustainable development.” He recalled that “this work is based on the certification obtained last year as a Biosphere Destination”, whose strategy is aligned with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Action plan
Castro has influenced the action plan to promote tourism “respectful of the environment and committed from the environmental, social and cultural point of view.” He has insisted on “a homogeneous sustainable development, regardless of the size or weight of the company.” One of the priorities of Turismo de Tenerife, whose CEO is David Pérez, is to recognize each year those entities that stand out in this process as a way to encourage and motivate.
In Best sustainable practice in local administrations, the Candelaria project, flavor and tradition, promoted by the city council for the promotion as a gastronomic destination, is distinguished. Within Sustainable Tourism in Nature, the award goes to the Heaven and Earth Nature Reserve of the Starlight Camino Barranco Stellar Park in Badajoz. It is aimed at protecting, preserving and conserving nature. The prize for Tourist Accommodation is awarded to the proposal We are Water – Let’s Make a Deal, from the Santa Barbara Golf and Ocean Club complex. A campaign aimed at promoting water saving and its rational use. Overall Sustainable Best Practice is awarded to two entities. To the Pirámides de Güímar Ethnographic Park for the development of the Sustainable Garden, and to the municipality of Tegueste for the Tegueste Biofest, a multidisciplinary festival with a model of sustainable tourism. The Best Innovative Practice falls on the Volcano Teide Experience Booking Engine and the Masca Barranco Road of Teleférico del Pico del Teide SA. It consists of a web reservation system for a more sustainable visit.
