“We Should Celebrate Our Tourists” – Yaiza Tourism Councillor Daniel Medina

Lanzarote’s southernmost municipality, Yaiza, receives hundreds of thousands of tourists each year, mostly in the resort of Playa Blanca. Keeping those tourists happy, and ensuring that income benefits local residents is just one of the challenges faced by the local council in a world which bring new challenges all the time. We spoke to Daniel Medina, Yaiza’s Tourism Councillor, last month.

One of the more widely-supported proposals of the demonstrations against the effects of mass tourism in recent years has been a tourist tax. What is your opinion on the issue?

It’s a complicated issue, and we’d have to analyse it closely, to decide how funds could be raised and where they would be spent. We’re aware that any such proposal will have strong opposition – the example of Mogán in Gran Canaria, where hotel owners have taken the mayor to court after she introduced a municipal charge for overnight stays, has shown us that.

But we’re also aware that in recent years there’s been a disconnection between local residents and tourists, with issues like the housing crisis and water cuts. It’s important that residents here feel as though they have a stake in tourism. We should celebrate tourists, and offer them a unique experience.

Yaiza has announced a new Improvement and Renovation Plan for Playa Blanca. Will this be similar to the one that has been taking place in Puerto del Carmen in recent years?

Yes, the aim is to upgrade existing accommodation with subsidies, improve and update public zones, especially in the centre and the maritime walkway. We’re putting priority on the stretch between Fund Grube and the harbour and hope to start by the end of the year.

The approach towards Femes is also important. That roundabout near Aldi is very ugly and needs to be improved urgently. We’re also hoping that the sewage treatment centre will be tackled at the beginning of next year. Then there’s the general upkeep and replacement of roads, pavements and lighting in the resort.

There were three drownings at Los Charcones in the last year, and rescues of injured hikers on Montaña Roja are fairly frequent too. Is it necessary to do more to protect tourists?

There’s only so much we can do if tourists don’t respect weather warnings and choose to go past barriers when the road is closed.

But I think tourists get too much criticism at times, when some of the worst activities on the island are carried out by residents. Going near the pool at the Jameos del Agua, which was designed for swimming by Manrique, is forbidden, but it’s not as bad as fly-tipping.

What about the queues at Timanfaya?

Visitors can’t wait for an hour and a half in the summer heat to enter the Fire Mountains, and locals can’t keep getting caught up in huge traffic jams. We’ve always supported the idea of a shuttle bus system to the Timanfaya centre, and the council is willing to give public land to provide parking.

Where would the parking be?

Probably at the camel rides area.

Cruises will arrive at Playa Blanca this winter. What does that mean for Yaiza?

The first boutique cruiser is scheduled to arrive in November, and we’re determined to be ready for it. The harbour was extended with the intention of making profits, and we think the cruise ships can take advantage of what we provide here in Yaiza without competing against Arrecife.

What are your views on the Franz Weber Foundation’s campaign to end camel rides?

I think it shows a lack of knowledge about life on Lanzarote. The camel is part of Lanzarote’s landscape, and was always used to work, carrying goods or moving soil in the wine fields.

Nowadays, the camels usually work for two days a week, occasionally three, and they’re well looked after – if they aren’t, they don’t work.

Is the housing crisis affecting tourism?

It’s an enormous problem. My brother and I were brought up by my mother on a chambermaid’s wage, but that would simply not be possible with today’s rents. It doesn’t just mean that hotels can’t find workers who live locally. It’s also affecting professionals such as teachers, who can’t afford to live here. What we can do on a local basis is provide land, and we’ve already given space for 246 units of social housing.

Is Yaiza doing enough to promote some of its attractions? For example, the archaeological site at Rubicón, which is the earliest European settlement in the Canaries. Yet thousands of visitors to Papagayo pass it every day with no idea what it is.

This is one of the most important projects on the island, and 12 skeletons from the very earliest settlers have been found, with more discoveries to come this year, I’m told. We’d love to make more of it in the future.