SAN SEBASTIÁN DE LA GOMERA, 5th April. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The head of the Cabildo of La Gomera, Casimiro Curbelo, stated on Friday that tourism “is not the curse of the Canary Islands”, acknowledging that the councils and municipal authorities of the Canary Islands are the ones bearing the brunt of the lack of planning. He urged for a calm approach to delve into this issue, analysing growth limits and the demographic challenge.
Addressing the media, he stressed that “now is not the time for assigning blame, but for looking beyond each term of office and strategizing.” He emphasised the importance of planning for tourism excellence and pushed for solutions to address outdated urban planning and inadequate resource management with a forward-looking approach. He cautioned that “before constructing a hotel, we must determine how waste will be managed and where the water it consumes will be sourced from.”
Casimiro Curbelo acknowledged the ongoing discussion on this issue but reiterated that the crux of the problem lies in deficient urban, demographic, and resource planning.
He highlighted the greater responsibilities of the national and regional governments in this regard as opposed to local administrations and condemned the attempts to introduce laws that would “further burden those with the fewest resources, namely local administrations.”
Continuing on this theme, he stressed the need to avoid getting caught up in political wrangles and competing for public attention, stating that not everyone is equally invested in participating in “planning and enhancing citizens’ lives.”
According to a statement from the Cabildo, he recommended using the ‘Gomera Strategy36’ as a benchmark and model to prevent the erosion of values and social, economic, and territorial sustainability.
