Jorge Marichal, the president of Ashotel and Cehat, has voiced strong criticism against politicians in the Canary Islands who, he says, are now "remaining passive" following the tourism model protests on April 20th, attributing blame to all of the political parties for poor planning in the Islands.
"Infrastructure doesn't spring up overnight. Stop making stupid announcements and start working," Marichal said during a roundtable discussion at the Futurismo Canarias 2024 forum.
He emphasised that "this is not a tourism problem" and stated that those who place tourism at the centre of Canary Islands' issues are "misguided." In his, and his association's opinion, the core issues are population growth and "poor management of infrastructures”, for instance, in Tenerife.
He went on to criticise attempts to focus blame on the municipalities of Granadilla and Adeje, saying that the tension is more widespread. "There are no roads, no housing, and the execution of general plans is not well done; some are not even adapted to guidelines, so when a license is requested to build a house, it takes three years to grant," he claimed.
Marichal also expressed his support for holiday homes as an activity but opposed the fact that it has had "uncontrolled and unplanned growth, which has led to many people being forced out of their homes."
Previously, rent was €500 a month, but now it has increased to €1,200 in a short period of time: "People are angry, they can't make ends meet no matter how much we increase their salaries," he said. Furthermore, he reiterated his support for holiday rentals as a "classified and planned economic activity, purchasing properties at tourist land prices and adhering to the same regulations as hoteliers.”
