SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Oct. 11 (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Cabildo de Tenerife has presented today the new edition of the Anaga Biofest, an event that aims to promote the development of ecotourism through the enhancement of the local primary sector, the new concept of rurality or the archaeological wealth that characterize the Reserve of the Macizo de Anaga Biosphere.
The Minister of Management of the Natural Environment and Safety, Isabel García; the insular director of Tourism, Laura Castro, and the coordinator of the organizing company, Javier Tejera, were in charge of explaining that this year this social event wanted to highlight in its programming the importance of women in the rural sector through the start-up of activities where they take the leading role contributing their experience and knowledge of the traditional arts and crafts of the area.
Also participating in the press conference were José Luis Hernández, Councilor for the Area of the Environment, Fight against Climate Change and Animal Welfare of the City Council of La Laguna, and Manuel Martín, Councilor for the Area of the Environment, Ecological Transition, Local Development, Participation, Water and Mobility of the City Council of Tegueste.
“This year many things have happened in the Biosphere Reserve, such as the finally opening of a physical office in Tegueste, and the appointment of a management team that works together with the Natural Environment and Rural Park areas, and hand in hand with the three municipalities that make up the Reserve, but also the definition of an Action Plan for the Reserve, an essential document in the strategy of this important natural space and which has been designed based on the proposals and interventions of citizenship,” said the counselor.
“Appointments such as the Anaga Biofest become essential and fundamental. Because it is through this type of action, based on leisure, sports, gastronomy and, of course, the transmission of historical and ethnographic information, where it is received with more emotion the knowledge about the places”, pointed out García.
The Island Director of Tourism, Laura Castro, explained, for her part, that “from the Cabildo we will continue promoting events like this one, which value the cultural and natural heritage of Tenerife, and allow us to diversify our tourist offer.”
“From the Insular Government we are working together with the public and private sectors to consolidate the island as a destination for lovers of natural spaces, local gastronomy, traditions and culture,” Castro said, adding that “our objective is to promote this motivation in male and female travellers, and we have drawn up the island strategy in recent years along these lines”.
“This unique project that promotes a model of sustainable tourism at a local scale, crosses borders and becomes a reference at the state level, having been selected as a reference initiative and good practices of the ecotourism sector within the VI National Congress of Ecotourism, which will be held between October 18 and 20 in the Mariñas Coruñesas Biosphere Reserve (Galicia),” said festival director Javier Tejera.
The Councilor for the Area of the Environment, Fight against Climate Change and Animal Welfare of the City Council of La Laguna, José Luis Hernández, recalled that it is “a festival that is a jewel and that has sustainability objectives with which, from the City Council of La Laguna, we fully share. It is a small festival with big goals in which we participate this year for the first time but we will continue doing it without a doubt in the future”
Manuel Martín, councilor for the Area of the Environment, Ecological Transition, Local Development, Participation, Water and Mobility of the Tegueste City Council, pointed out that “this Festival is one more step in enhancing the value of the municipality as a sustainable tourist destination due to the values that contains such as food and wine, rural, cultural, and natural, which is why we have been involved since the first edition that took place last year”.
In this present edition, the municipality of Tegueste is joined by that of San Cristóbal de La Laguna. In this way, the activities are focused on the generalist ecotourist from physical activities such as hiking trips; the one who travels as a family and prioritizes educational activities with their children and the foodie, whose tourist experience is linked to gastronomy. Based on this categorization, and as part of the Biofest spirit, the organization will offer almost 50 activities in which up to 80 local agents linked to the natural space of the Anaga massif will take part.
All activities can be consulted on the web http://www.biofest-anaga.comat the same address, registration will continue to be open until full capacity is reached.
In addition, ‘Savor the biosphere’ will offer hikers the opportunity to taste some of the most typical products of the area, linked to the reserve, such as cheese, wine or honey. Thus complying with another of the backbones of the Anaga Biofest where the consumption of local product of km 0 is prioritized.
The initiative is organized by Ecotouristing, a company specialized in tourism project management, under parameters of environmental, socio-cultural and economic sustainability. It is a project that was born within a framework of public-private governance, which materializes with the involvement of different institutions.
On the one hand, the Town Hall of Villa de Tegueste, joined this year by the Town Hall of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, which will act as venues for the scheduled activities. Likewise, the sponsors include Turismo de Islas Canarias through the “Islas Canarias” brand and the Government of the Canary Islands through the European Regional Development Fund – ERDF and Next Generation EU; the Cabildo de Tenerife through the Macizo de Anaga Biosphere Reserve and Tenerife Tourism Office.