The mayor of La Orotava, Francisco Linares (CC)claims that the Villa be considered a tourist municipality and that it not reserve that treatment to the localities that accumulate a greater number of accommodations. The nationalist president highlighted during the annual balance of the Tourism area that “La Orotava is one of the most visited places in the Canary Islandsbut is not considered a tourist municipality nor can it receive aid in this sense, despite the fact that it has sufficient heritage, natural, ethnographic, landscape, gastronomic, museum, artistic, cultural and historical values”. In his opinion, “other aspects such as the number of visitors it receives each day and his international seal of quality cittaslowThey also accredit it as a tourist city”.
“La Villa offers a different and alternative model to what is currently called a tourist city, which is valued for the number of beds it offers and, therefore, receives significant subsidies. But in the orotava we do not want no more beds or build hotelsQuite the contrary, we are committed to protecting and caring, and we advocate for the rehabilitation of existing buildings”, explained Linares.
For the villero president, “the orotava It has great potential for visitors due to its charms and exceptional values, for the offer of quality tourism and sustainability and, therefore, it is the only one in Canary Islands, and one of the few in Spain that has received the distinction of city cittaslow“. The mayor demands that “the way of classifying and nominating tourist municipalities be changed” so that it also accommodates alternative modelsIt’s like the one in La Orotava.
This demand was raised this Tuesday, March 1, 2023, by the mayor during the press conference to present the data of the Municipal Tourist Information Office (OMIT) in 2022, which also included the councilor of the area, Delia Escobarand Ernest Estrada, on behalf of said office. The tourist information points in La Orotava served 36,983 people last year, 62.57% more than in 2021, in which 23,140 were attended. The OMIT, which is located in a building in the central Carrera Escultor Estévez street, served 33,663 tourists, an increase of 12,450 users (63.02% more). While the tourist information point located in the Plaza de Casañas, in front of the Iglesia de la Concepción, registered 3,320 users.
“The data is very positive and is close to the figures prior to the pandemic,” said the mayor. Delia Escobarwho emphasizes that the Villa “continues to be a attraction for tourists and a place of must visit“. It also points out that in the municipality practically the entire Tourism Strategic Plan and that a second phase is already being worked on.
The countries that bring the most visitors to La Orotava are Spain (18,440), France (5,728), Germany (3,324) and the United Kingdom (1,997)
In the data from the OMIT annual report, it also stands out that in eight months records of more than 3,000 users have been established, while only in January it has dropped below 2,000. The countries that contribute more visitors are Spain (18,440), France (5,728), Germany (3,324) and the United Kingdom (1,997). The rest comes from multiple points, although “an increase has been noted in the Nordic, Chinese, Israeli, Czech, Polish and Estonian markets. On the contrary, visitors from Russia completely disappear“.
The figures regarding the group of Spaniards (from the Peninsula, the Balearic Islands and the rest of the Canary Islands) confirm the recovery of the national market and its seasonal adjustment. In addition, they continue to be the users who go to the OMIT the most to request information related to aspects related to the traditional gastronomy, the wines of the Valley, the tourist route through the North and the Teide National Park, visits to theme parks, museums and gardens downtown. His level of satisfaction after completing the municipal itinerary continues to be very high and with expectations of exploring the other attractions of the Villa: route of viewpoints and dragon trees, sunsets in the municipal coastal area, hiking and visits to banana plantations and vineyards. Visitors from France They show special interest in the local gastronomy, the viewpoints over the Valley, the farmer’s market, crafts, gardens, municipal traditions and the culture of water (mills) and the cultivation of bananas. Germans show special interest in hiking, while the main interests of the British They focus on municipal gardens, museums, churches, local heritage and trails in the Valley that connect with other municipalities.
It is noteworthy the increase in telephone and email inquiries about the tourist attractions of the municipality. And another element to take into account is the increase, in the north, of tourists staying in holiday homes who request general information from the La Orotava Tourist Office.
The establishments included in the prestigious Cittaslow International Network They open up a wide range of possibilities to promote multiple tourist experiences in a calm way, which is why they are already being quite requested by the user as visitable banana trees, markets, restaurants, mills, and wineries. To continue empowering them, a book has been published with all these companiesin addition to a brochure on the approved trails of the Villa, the guide of the municipality with specialized information and the tourist guide for families with children.
