A word on our island’s development in view of the future.
One part is the creation and influx to the islands from CanAm. Basically, what we need now is new points of interest for the new high-level American tourists. Whilst the other islands are developing their assets, La Palma seems to be frozen in time.
If you want me to name a destination highlights in La Palma, only the Observatories come to my mind. Some hotels urgently need to be brought up to speed, such as the Parador hotels. Especially Hotel Olas and Sol need to be brought to speed as they are not really comparable to hotels in the Caribbean and Tenerife. We are competing with these to attract the new clientèle.
What we really need in future is real jaw-dropping architecture at awe-inspiring locations with exceptional catering. Just having and island covered with natural reserve locations which are not supported by any hotels worth the name long distance drive away “will not make the cat come out from behind the stove” as we say.
What we direly need here is new projects, such as themed resorts which have the appearance out of a James Bond movie. Such as Volcano Resorts, Cumbre Hiking combined with a Stargazing resort, Mountain Forest resort in the Laurel Forests and a Paraglider resort, just to name a few. We need new tourist locations such as well-built high quality seawater pools where swimmers are not endangered while swimming in the Atlantic surf.
And what about a real SPA location? We have truly awe-inspiring locations which we only need to develop such as the old seawater pools at Francese or Charco Azul, Charco de las Damas, La Fajana, Charcos de Echentive and countless more.
Spots like Charco Verde could be further developed with large seawater pools (on the right side, where it is too dangerous to swim) at relatively moderate cost, so not only the occasionally astray tourists find them –come and leave again–, so the different visitor demographics are met, so we also need to focus on well-paying tourists to those locations.
All we need is to develop them!
And in short, if we don’t do it and keep control, later generations will, or even worse, the other islands will take off and we will stay in a less fortunate situation, where as a result of 50% youth unemployment the youth wanders of to peninsula hotspots, such as Madrid or Barcelona, where they rarely make their fortune. Lets keep them here and offer them a prosperous future and you could change that! In view of the incoming new tourists of the CanAm project it is important for La Palma and the other islands to get into position to receive these new tourists which will bring prosperity to the islands.
Next, even more important, it will be important to distribute this wealth among the locals, the hard-working local youth. One way is to regulate minimum wages, introduce a tourist tax which funnels down into developments for the local population, such as affordable residency projects.
Another important aspect, as I see it, is to simplify the local regulations and restrictions in order to boost the local share of new businesses instead of hindering them with over-regulation.