The president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, presented this week, the new Awareness Strategy for Ethical and Responsible Tourism, an initiative that seeks to promote a sustainable tourism model that respects the natural and cultural environment of Lanzarote and La Graciosa.
The bedrock of the strategy is a series of ten points, which tourists will be able to read by clicking a QR code at the airport, and various other parts of the island. Having read them, they can “sign” the pledge on the web page, to register their agreement.
Betancort said: “We want tourists who visit Lanzarote to do so with a deep understanding of our culture and the importance of preserving our environment. Lanzarote is much more than a destination of sun and beach, it is a territory with a unique identity that we must protect.”
We have translated the ten points below, but you can read the original Spanish here.
1/ It is estimated that the world is home to about a million islands. And you have chosen ours, Lanzarote. We thank you and welcome you, and we invite you to take care of her and love her as we do.
2/ Move with respect. Don’t leave your mark on places only shaped by the lava, the wind and the ocean.
3/ Save water. It is the most precious commodity on an island punished by thirst, which has exhibited tenacity in managing the scarce rainfall and environmental humidity.
4/ Let yourself be lulled into relaxation. May the music that accompanies you be the symphony of the waves against the coast, the whistle of the trade wind and the murmur of your steps on the roads of picon and sand.
5/ Don’t leave your waste. Leave behind only your gaze, on the volcanoes, the lava, the zocos and the white architecture.
6/ Be an attentive and careful person when you travel along the trails, you are surrounded by an incredible biodiversity that must be protected.
7/ Stones, plants and marine life are part of the landscape to which you will want to return in all its splendour. Look for your souvenirs in the shops, not in nature.
8/ Give yourself local crafts and savour the products of the land and the sea. For its quality, for its freshness, because the Canarian gastronomy will make you touch the sky.
9/ Show generosity and good treatment to those who receive you in their home with open arms.
10/ The real credit is in how you choose to explore the world. If as a traveler you are one of those who applaud when landing celebrating the arrival at a new destination, what if, when you leave, it is the destination that applauds you?
