“When you are a tourist, you have to make payments, as these concepts are inherently linked.” Manuel Herguedas Hurtado, also known as Manu among his friends, holds a degree in tourism businesses and activities, and serves as the CEO of his own travel and tourism company. Originally from Valladolid, he has been based in Tenerife for decades, with a professional career in the sector since 1990, including roles in Viajes Meliá, Halcón Viajes, Viajes El Corte Inglés, Viajes Insular, and now, Viajarium. An acknowledged expert, he strongly believes and emphasises that “being a tourist equates to payment as an integral part of the experience.”
He expresses his initial opinion that “accounting for 35% of the GDP and over 25% of employment in the Canary Islands, all activities related to tourism should have a special IGIC.” He points out: “As a travel seller, it is challenging to explain to a client the tourist tax they will pay at the hotel, as it varies based on the destination and type of accommodation.” He argues: “Calling it an eco-tax seems absurd, as everything in this field should be eco-friendly.” In response, “tourism revenues should be aimed at maintaining a sustainable destination.”
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Inspection Matters
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Herguedas believes that “another use of this IGIC would be to allocate part of it to provide resources for inspections to ensure everything is done properly. Without an adequate number of inspectors…”. When discussing payments in national parks, he states that “most are freely accessible due to their vast areas, but they have specific activities and private areas that require payment.” He emphasises that “for effective surveillance of places like Las Cañadas del Teide, a significant amount of funding is needed to support the salaries of those responsible for monitoring and ensuring that visitors do not park anywhere they want, nor wander freely in protected areas,” and also to ensure that “no one takes things they shouldn’t, maintain the flora and fauna, and develop more eco-sustainable routes using the resources provided by nature, all while ensuring quality service.”
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Visitor Limitations
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Regarding tourism capacity, he gives the example of La Graciosa. He believes that islands like this, El Hierro, La Gomera, La Palma, or Lanzarote should have a quota system; in other words, visitor limitations. This “restriction” would increase demand “and completely alleviate the overcrowding experienced in certain areas during specific dates and seasons.”
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Comprehensive Plan
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Herguedas suggests that “if a significant percentage of tourists are attracted by the temperature and our coastline, it would be beneficial to create a comprehensive plan for a sustainable coastal environment, where we can distribute visitors.” He refers to, “whether it is functioning as intended or not,” the traffic light system at Las Teresitas and Las Gaviotas as “a proper way to prevent overcrowding in specific areas.” He believes that “we do not utilise information adequately. It is not about controlling the users, but about preventing overcrowding and highlighting the value of our entire coastline.” With this in mind, he advocates for the use of drones, cameras to monitor beach conditions, traffic lights, access points, lifeguards, eco-friendly car parks, and ecological transports to the entrances. He thinks it is not overly complex and states that having better access, lifeguards, integrated showers, or eco-friendly transportation from an interchange point in places like Los Patos, El Ancón, or El Bollullo would not hurt but enhance the experience.
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Educational Focus
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For Manuel Herguedas, education, to which he dedicates part of his professional activities with young individuals, “is essential as one of the fundamental pillars in the industry.” He finds it “shameful, in my opinion, but I say it outright, that our children do not have a subject from a young age to learn about their surroundings.” He lists, “from where we live to who our prominent figures were throughout history; the gastronomy, folklore, as well as the customs of each municipality along with the significance of every element in our surroundings, every building, every landscape, every flower.” He adds: “As far as I know, tourism is only studied in Geography classes and exclusively by those who chose the social sciences path. This should not be the case.”
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Economic Dependency
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“We depend on this, tourism,” he stresses, adding that “until certain industries are developed, until someone demonstrates that we can live in Canarias relying on something other than tourism, all residents of this land should be aware of our surroundings, our history, our future path, the type of tourism we desire, and how to achieve it, as well as what each type of tourist prefers and dislikes.” He delves into the idea: “Understanding their preferences and applying tourism sociology.” In conclusion, “firstly, know what we have and then, undoubtedly, explore the rest, convincing ourselves that there is no destination like ours in the global sphere. I speak of Tenerife, of Canarias, and of Spain.”
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Leading the Industry
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Manu Herguedas notes that “we may not hold the number one spot in the world yet, but we are very close.” He argues: “When it comes to combining services, society, location, climate, landscapes, history, architecture, art, leisure, gastronomy, etc., we have no comparison with any other destination.” Conversely, “perhaps we lack that professionalism in certain areas, understanding the tourism model we aim for and not relying solely on luck, as trends change cyclically and what was valuable in the early 20th century as health tourism has evolved into another trend. A significant challenge indeed.”
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