Eight initiatives from companies, local administrations, and two university projects were awarded in the VI Contest of Sustainable Tourism Practices organized by the Cabildo, through Tourism in Tenerife. The City Council of El Rosario, the Port Authority, Nostramo, Landmar Hotels, Albergue de Anaga, BE-canary, David Domínguez, and Carlos Taysen received their awards at an event held yesterday, where diplomas were also awarded to five companies joining the sustainability initiatives for nature activities and whale watching promoted by the island’s public tourism entity: Blue Ocean, Blue Jack Sail, Catamarán Maxicat, Ocean Friends and Macaronesian Divers.
The award for the best sustainable practice in local administrations was shared by the City Council of El Rosario and the Port Authority of Santa Cruz with environmentally conscious tourism, which includes the energy community, and OPS Technology in Tenerife, for onshore power supply for cruises and inter-island services.
The category for best sustainable practice in nature tourism recognized the project Tenerife Dolphin: sustainable whale watching, while the best sustainable practice in accommodations award went to Landmar Hotels for their proposal called Clean Energies: it’s now.
The restaurant Albergue de Anaga received the recognition for the best sustainable practice in gastronomy, as they combine up to 90% of local products and 20% from the rest of the Island. The best sustainable practice in other tourism services acknowledged BE-canary, with their proposal BE Sustainable & Responsible.
In the category for best university work promoting sustainable tourism practices, the distinction was shared by David Domínguez, for their proposal Challenges for the management of marine tourism, and Carlos Taysen, for their work Innovation in the management of bio-waste in hotels. Tenerife km. 0: Circular Tourist Community. The first proposal analyzes the development of marine tourism in coastal destinations and how to establish cooperation mechanisms, and the second is focused on a pilot project promoted by Ashotel in Adeje, seeking to convert the bio-waste from tourist establishments into compost.
Towards a sustainable model
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Lope Afonso, Vice President and Tourism Councillor of the Cabildo, stated that “we believe in a model based on sustainable and balanced tourism management where the destination’s quality and the visitor’s quality are one.” In this line, he maintained that “the set goal is to achieve the comprehensive quality of our tourism, and this implies taking a definitive step in the pillars defining its sustainable management: offer, efficient management in public spaces and the natural environment, digitalization, and visitor profile. Without sustainability, there is no quality tourism.”
The island’s Vice President argued that “intelligent coexistence can only be linked to sustainability to maintain our main source of income and employment, and to do so reasonably within the characteristics of our island, our idiosyncrasy, reconciling all this with the interests and needs of those who reside in it.”
Dimple Melwani, CEO of Tourism in Tenerife, stated that “good sustainable tourism practices aim to celebrate and acknowledge the contribution of companies, administrations, students, and society in general, towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.” Tenerife’s Tourism strategy “integrates sustainability in all its actions and involves our more than associated companies, engaging the entire value chain of the tourism sector with the aim of instilling that the traditional tourism model evolves towards an increasingly sustainable and respectful offering with our natural environment.”
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According to Melwani, “investing in sustainable tourism implies involving all stakeholders in a territory: tourists, companies, entrepreneurs from all sectors of activity, and society.” In her opinion, “this is the key to continue progressing steadily towards a sustainable tourism model that guarantees, by implementing technology and sustainable solutions, the necessary shift that Tenerife needs for its proper growth and positioning.”
