The Southern Circle of Entrepreneurs and Professionals of Tenerife (CEST) has expressed regret that “the focus is being placed on the tourism sector as the main culprit for the services and infrastructure of the island not meeting the needs of the residents”. The organization invites reflection to avoid the social attack on the tourism industry.
“It saddens and worries us that what should be a joint effort of the entire society of Tenerife to improve the problems we face is turning into a fierce fight against a sector that represents 35% of our GDP, in addition to generating 40% of employment. However, it only occupies 5% of our islands’ surface,” says CEST President, Javier Cabrera, who points out that “51% of the territory is protected”. He also laments the “personal attacks” that many travellers arriving in Canary Islands are facing.
Regarding the demonstration scheduled for the 20th on all the islands, Cabrera is convinced that the reasons “are common to the vast majority of the people in Tenerife and affect us all”. The business organization “commits to continue voicing the concerns of southern Tenerife’s society to the authorities to jointly find sufficient solutions to improve the well-being of our society.”
Cabrera mentions that the population of the Canary Islands has increased by over half a million in the last 25 years, especially in municipalities in southern Tenerife like Adeje (268%) and Granadilla de Abona (185%). Infrastructure has not grown at the same pace.
The lack of housing, the need for new mobility systems, sufficient services, or modernization in water management are the main demands that CEST has championed. A problem that creates a sense of collapse which, as explained by its board of directors, “has nothing to do with the arrival of tourists in Tenerife.” For the business group, most of the concerns that arise “stem from such rapid demographic growth that has not allowed services to evolve at the same pace.”
Javier Cabrera highlights the importance of not demonising a sector that is the foundation of our productive system and calls for a profound and calm analysis of the reasons behind each of the demands.
