In 2019, 2.5 million tourists visited Santa Cruz. The pandemic caused that figure to plummet an average of 65% in the following two years. Last year the number of tourists who visited the capital did not reach one million. With an eye on the end of the pandemic, Santa Cruz wants to show its best face in the face of a recovery in tourism that is already beginning to be felt, and for this it is going to mobilize 850,000 euros with the aim of modernizing its tourist information offices.
“Santa Cruz sets itself the goal of becoming a tourist capital, accelerating the plan designed within the context of the capital’s strategic plans, and for this we are going to mobilize the necessary resources to recover those 2.5 million tourists who visited the city. in 2019”. This is detailed to DIARIO DE AVISOS by the delegate councilor of the Development Society, Alfonso Cabello, who recalls that the pandemic has cost Santa Cruz more than 60 million in tourist spending.
The mayor details that in 2019, “the tourist service offices of Santa Cruz (Plaza de España, cruise terminal and itinerant point) served 44,307 people, with the months of maximum activity being October, November and December, which coincide with the semester of cruise passengers, so attracting these tourists again requires an investment effort that takes the form of those 850,000 euros”.
“Our differentiation strategy within a sun and beach destination such as the Canary Islands requires a competitive improvement and reconversion of tourist spaces and services, a landscape improvement and an increase in the offer, so as to increase satisfaction in its experience in the city”, defends the also mayor of Organization. According to Cabello, “this set of actions will contribute to the improvement of the Tourist Information System around kilometer 0, where people coming to the capital from other tourist areas converge, as well as tourists staying in the city.”
performances
To recover the Interchange office, 275,000 euros will be invested to create a new infrastructure and provide it with the necessary equipment to cover the demand for tourist information and services for Interchange users. The office will be equipped with digital elements that show the tourist offer of the capital and facilitate the planning of the visit.
The Port office will have a budget of 120,000 euros for the provision of a Cruise Service Point at the point of access for cruise ships to the city. It is a modular structure that will offer tourists a first contact with the city.
The office that will be located in the Palacio de Carta, once the works are finished, which is expected to be before June, will be the “flagship” office of Santa Cruz. For this, 350,000 euros will be invested. “We want to create an office that is a benchmark in the Canary Islands, located at kilometer zero and that reinforces the competitiveness of the capital,” says Cabello. The objective is to design a space that provides visitors with a unique experience through immersive spaces of different places and experiences, through interaction with different devices. “The very experience of visiting the Palacio de Carta supposes the creation of a new tourist resource, due to its history and architecture, becoming an emblematic tourist office in a privileged situation”, defends the mayor delegate of the Development Society.
