La Orotava registers 124 new economic activities this year, reaching a total of 4,492 compared to 4,368 in 2021, which represents a growth of 2.8%. An increase that the mayor of Economy and Finance, Felipe David Benítez, describes as “very significant”. But perhaps the most striking data is that 542 of them invoice a volume of more than one million euros, an amount equal to the previous year.
Most of the new companies are concentrated in the hull. The activity that has had the most openings is leisure-restoration, followed by commerce and services (law firms, agencies, speech therapy services, advertising and marketing, IT, graphic design, among others). Of these, 21 requested this year the aid to new entrepreneurs granted by the City Council and amounting to 2,500 euros, while 315 were subsidized with those destined to promote economic activity, within the Trade Plan, started with COVID.
However, this increase in commercial activity is not reflected in the current situation of the town, with stores closed for years. This is due to two reasons, the councilor explains: that the rents for some of the properties are very high or that their owners do not want any type of activity to take place there.
“There are premises for which up to five projects have been presented, but both parties have not been able to reach an agreement or are asking for excessive rent and we have to think about the day after, in a feasibility plan, beyond the aid that the City Council can give ”, maintains the mayor. For this reason, “many initiatives do not go ahead despite the fact that there are people with a desire, good ideas and interesting projects”, he underlines.
