The Canary Islands has been confirmed as the latest member of the growing International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO), overseeing the responsible development of tourism worldwide. The announcement came as INSTO, an initiative of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) held its annual meeting, bringing together key stakeholders from both the public and private sectors.
Since its establishment in 2004, the network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories has steadily grown in both size and influence. Now, as its members help guide tourism’s recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it met virtually for the second time since the start of the current crisis. The annual meeting provided more than 100 international experts with a platform for open dialogue about the future direction of tourism and on the support destinations need to maintain their efforts to place sustainability at the heart of future growth.
Warm welcome to new member
The Tourism Observatory of the Canary Islands, one of Europe’s most popular destinations, will join the other 30 INSTO members in monitoring and measuring tourism and providing clear, objective data to guide evidence-based decision making.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “UNWTO warmly welcomes the Canary Islands into our global network of observatories. This demonstrates the Islands’ strong commitment to tourism as a force for sustainability and development. It will facilitate the generation of more and better evidence of the economic, environmental and social impacts that tourism has on the Canary Islands.
Teresa Berástegui Guigou, Vice-Minister of Tourism for the Canary Islands, added: “The incorporation of the Canary Islands into the UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Observatories takes place at a crucial and decisive moment for the global tourism sector, due to the health crisis and the growing importance of working both on the sustainability of destinations, and on the generation of tourism knowledge for decision-making.”
Immediate concerns and long-term objectives
A range of pressing issues were discussed during the annual INSTO meeting, with inputs from the public and private sectors and from civil society, including academia. Specific issues addressed included measuring the needs of destinations, emerging public health indicators, and varying tourism products in order to mitigate the social and economic impacts of the current crisis.
The meeting also focused on ongoing issues for INSTO members, including measuring the satisfaction of both tourists and residents of tourists destinations, assessing and improving governance, and identifying how combined national and local actions are paving the way for a sustainable response, resilience and recovery.
Fighting twin issues of pandemic as well as migrants
Meanwhile, the Canary Islands authorities said on Thursday they hoped to be seen as a “safe territory” by more countries after Germany decided it was no longer a high risk area for the spread of the coronavirus.
The Atlantic archipelago, located off southern Morocco, is a rare warm destination in winter in Europe, a season that accounts for half of its annual tourism revenues.
“This arrives at a crucial and very important moment, just when our high winter season is about to start, which opens good expectations from this (German) market,” regional tourism secretary Yaiza Castilla said of Berlin’s move.
Germany on Thursday issued travel warnings for popular ski regions in Austria, Italy and Switzerland aiming to try to contain the coronavirus, but took the Canary Islands off its list of high risk areas.
The ratio of diagnosed coronavirus cases in the Canary Islands fell by more than half since early September to 81 per 100,000 residents, while in Navarra, the country’s hotspot, the ratio has more than tripled to more 1,000 per 100,000 people.
“I’m convinced we’ll soon exit other countries’ warning lists and we will be a totally safe territory with green lights,” Castilla said in an audio statement sent to reporters.
Belgium has one of the Canary Islands, La Palma, in “green code,” meaning it is seen as a safe destination, while it has various degrees of travel warnings for all other areas in Europe.
On the other side, Canary Islands is also struggling with the migrants issue this week. Over 1,000 people, including women and at least three toddlers, woke up Wednesday in a dozen emergency tents set up by the Red Cross on the Gran Canaria island’s Arguineguin dock, where they were joined by some of the 300 people rescued in the early hours of the day. While Mediterranean crossings are down this year, arrivals on the Canary Islands across a treacherous part of the Atlantic Ocean are up nearly 700% on the year.