“I am being told that if I do not pay the subsidies, and that is completely false. I have remained silent and done my job, but on this occasion, given what the Federation released, we said enough is enough.”
“What the Federation of Sailing has done has set a precedent, and next time someone dares to lie, we will provide the documentation for people to see that we have done our job correctly.”
“We need to attend fairs, like the one in Hamburg, to further promote the destination. I cannot make a tourist from London want to visit us from Arrecife.”
Tourism Promotion in Arrecife
Eli Merino, the councillor for Tourism, Commerce, Human Resources, and Sports at the Arrecife City Council, discussed the importance of attending tourist and sports fairs in various countries during the “A Buena Hora” programme on Crónicas Radio this Friday. She emphasised that we cannot convince anyone to visit the capital from Arrecife alone. That is why she recently attended a specific cruise event in Hamburg, where she laid the groundwork for the arrival of significant ships like the Aída, which would bring substantial revenue to Lanzarote.
She also expressed her disappointment with the initial press release from the Federation of Traditional Sailing, after so much effort to assist them in resolving issues. Conversely, she celebrated the achievements of Hecher Sosa, a local resident from Los Alonso, whom she welcomed at the airport on Thursday evening alongside his family, friends, and supporters, following his success in the challenging world of the UFC. Lastly, she acknowledged the contributions of the awardees at the Tourism Awards Arrecife event, which will take place this Tuesday at La Recova.
On Changes and Events
– Have you suggested to the mayor to reduce any of your responsibilities to lighten your workload?
– I tried, but they told me we need to make an effort, and here I am, doing my best.
– What does the Tourism Awards Arrecife involve, which is happening this Tuesday at La Recova?
– This is the third time this tourism and commerce sectorial table has been convened, although it was established during the previous term. We wanted to give it a new focus by recognising individuals and companies that have made significant contributions to promoting tourism in Arrecife across various categories. Different categories, bases, and regulations were created, with the first awards held in 2023. Previously, the former tourism councillor had organised similar awards based on a single merit. From 2023 onwards, we wanted to adopt the awards presented by both the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo, as Arrecife is the capital of Lanzarote, and certain people and entities deserve this recognition. The council does not have a vote; the nominations come from the table, and they cast the votes themselves. In this instance, the work of Héctor Fernández, Lanzarote Summer Challenge, Ambrosio Martín, Toni Orosa, and the Real Club Náutico de Arrecife was evaluated. The event will take place on 23rd September at 8:30 PM at the Recova Municipal.
Recent Cruise Events
– You were recently in Hamburg for a cruise-related event. How did it go?
– Attending such events is essential, and I believe we need to promote the destination more actively. I cannot make a tourist from London want to visit Arrecife, but I can ensure that a tourist coming to Lanzarote explores Arrecife, which is my mission: to make a visit to the capital essential. In the past, tour operators did not recommend visiting Arrecife, but we have changed that perception. In Hamburg, we realised this, as well as at all the fairs we have attended over the last two and a half years. We have put Arrecife where it deserves to be. We focussed on promoting cruise tourism by collaborating with shipping companies and the port concessionaire, Global Port. We began working on creating a passenger control terminal that would potentially allow Arrecife to become a base port where tourists will not only disembark for a few hours but also stay for two or three days, exploring the island, dining in local restaurants, and making their final purchases. We have made sure that Global Port completed its terminal at both Los Mármoles and Puerto Naos; we now have passenger control with an area for their comfort and luggage collection, and the first company interested in making Arrecife its base port was MCC last season. Now we aim to secure the Aída vessels, which also provide significant numbers of stopovers in Lanzarote, and we sought to arrange a meeting with their director. We managed to do this, and I must thank the marketing directors at Global Port for facilitating our efforts.
We always want things to happen quickly, but it does not always work that way, as they had their schedule for the 27th and 28th completely booked. They proposed future meetings to discuss the 29/30 season. Time flies, and before we know it, we will have this great company using Arrecife as its base port. In 2022, we started with approximately 248,000 cruise passengers per season, and now we have closed with 610,000, with the goal of reaching around 700,000 in this new season. Thanks to the Hamburg fair, we have secured that next year’s European cruise fair will take place in Gran Canaria. We are currently scheduling numerous appointments for all cruise lines attending that fair to visit Lanzarote, experience our Tourist Centres, explore our destination, and promote it on their own cruises. This is tremendously important, as everyone benefits: local retailers, the hospitality sector, emerging businesses, and accommodation providers, as well as suppliers of goods for the ships whenever they arrive, including fresh produce, meat, and fish for 5,000 to 6,000 people.
Addressing Controversies
– You are aware of the controversy that arose with the Federation of Traditional Sailing. Firstly, they issued a statement, then you responded, and finally, they backtracked and acknowledged that things had not been handled correctly. Where do you stand now?
– I was very upset by what happened with the Federation of Traditional Sailing. More than upset, I was disappointed, because we met with them numerous times. From the Sports Department, we tried to resolve everything by providing them with legal resources, advice, and technical support to guide them on the documentation, deadlines for requests that were missed or left to expire in their electronic submissions. We would personally call them to inform them that they had notifications with impending deadlines. We helped them many times, including sponsoring a wonderful regatta that took place on the Day of the Canary Islands. Therefore, when we saw that they published that press release, we were not pleased and decided to stop allowing them to cast blame on us when we have always sought to help, particularly with our native sport. Thus, we could not tolerate such harsh words directed at the mayor and myself, and we released comprehensive records of all payments made and the status of the files at that moment. We had never done this before, despite claims that I am being told I do not pay the subsidies, which is utterly false. I have remained quiet and done my job; however, on this occasion, we said it was time to stand our ground. It is not true, and we need to defend ourselves. This has set a precedent, and next time someone dares to lie, we will provide the documentation for people to see we have done our job correctly, that we have tried to help, and we continue to do so because I believe they have faced problems not only with Arrecife but with other municipalities and the Cabildo as well. I appreciate the clarification they provided afterward, acknowledging that they had made a mistake. We are here to help.
Continuing Dialogue
– Have there been any meetings following those press statements?
– Yes. They will continue their work, and we will help them.
Welcoming Hecher Sosa
– You were at the airport on Thursday night to welcome Hecher Sosa. How was that experience?
– Yes, we watched the fight late at night. I was even helping him with a move from here. I was very excited. We supported him with a sports sponsorship, as was only right, because he is promoting the name of Arrecife and Lanzarote worldwide. We sent him a congratulatory message as soon as the fight was over, and we had to be there to welcome him at the airport, where there were around a hundred people cheering his name. His family was there, and it was a very emotional recognition, especially after the recent passing of his father. His mother was very emotional, along with his friends and supporters. We will remember his phrase: “for problems, solutions.” He was unharmed and wore an incredible look of joy.
– He has now secured an important contract; everything depends on him, and it’s remarkable to have achieved this after the recent passing of his father. Even the UFC owner recognised him.
– Yes. There were banners with the phrase his father used to say, which was about making it difficult but ensuring he made their surname known worldwide. Achieving this from Los Alonso is a great accomplishment.
