The council’s campaign Tenerife it’s yours promotes 76 free guided routes, 49 of them for seniors. The program also includes excursions for children and adolescents, people with disabilities or victims of gender violence. “The key to this initiative is that it has the elderly themselves,” says the insular councilor for Social Action, Marián Franquet.
The project is part of the actions that are located under the umbrella of the Conecta mayores project, since 49 of these excursions are specifically aimed at the population over 65 years of age in Tenerife –approximately 150,000 people, 16% of the total population of the Island–. Of the rest (27), 17 are addressed to children and adolescents, seven to the disabled and three to the victims of gender violence and their children. There will be a total of 1,404 places, of which 1,067 are for the elderly.
The initiative is promoted to improve the quality of life of the elderly and promote their autonomy, as well as other groups with which the Institute of Social and Socio-Health Care (IASS) works. The presentation was attended by the Minister of Social Action, Marián Franquet; the insular directors of Tourism, Laura Castro, and Technological Innovation and Citizen Attention, Ascensión Bacallado, and Isidro Hernández, member of the Insular Council of the Mayor. Franquet explained: “This joint initiative between Tourism and Social Action is part of a policy of adults who counts on them and makes them part of the decisions”. He recalled that “last year we made a very well accepted first approximation.” Those first three routes, the initial pilot tests, were aimed at the rural parks of Anaga and Teno and the northern towns.
260 entities
The person in charge of Social Action announced that the routes will be channeled through the 260 entities for the elderly “to promote associationism and participation, which dropped a lot after the pandemic.” Ascensión Bacallado stressed that all the information will be through the Insular Office of the Mayor, opened this year in La Laguna, which will transfer the offer to the clubs so that they can decide the routes that may best suit them, according to their characteristics and concerns. Laura Castro also explained that the main objective is “to disseminate Tenerife’s offer as a tourist destination among the resident population and contribute, in this case, to the active aging of people over 65 years of age.” Likewise, Castro highlighted the collaboration of tourism companies adhering to the Charters for Tourism Sustainability and that of the Professional Association of Official Tourism Guides of Tenerife, the APIT.
All kinds of routes
Regarding the type of tour, the insular director of Tourism pointed out that they have organized everything from themed cultural routes guided by the historic quarters of the Island to those for whale watching. Castro delved into these excursions through the northern and southern regions of the island, as well as trails through the rural parks of Anaga and Teno and the Parque Nacional del Teide.
Other activities in nature have also been designed, “such as stargazing.” On the other hand, “many of the tours will include lunch or tastings of local products, as well as demonstrations of traditional activities,” he added.
The beneficiaries
Isidro Hernández García, for his part, commented that “I participated last year in one of the pilot routes and I was amazed because, although we had walked through those areas more than once, we were unaware of the rich culture and heritage they had. I can not be more than satisfied with the implementation of the program.
within a strategy
This initiative to encourage participation in guided tours of the Island so that those who reside on it are integrated into the sustainability and tourism action plan. It is linked to compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the 2030 agenda and the Biosphere sustainable tourism certification.
