Canary Government Signs Agreement in Betancuria to Preserve Rural Environment
The Councilor for Tourism and Employment of the Canary Islands, Jéssica de León, signed a collaboration agreement on Friday with five municipalities that belong to the “Pueblos más Bonitos de España” network. She was accompanied by the Director General of Infrastructure, Sustainability and Tourist Quality, Héctor Mateo, and the Managing Director of Gesprotur, Ignacio Solana.
The ceremony took place at the Casa del Zapatero in the historic town of Betancuria, Fuerteventura—one of the signing municipalities. Also present were the mayor of Betancuria, Enrique Cerdeña, the mayors of Tejeda (Gran Canaria) Francisco Perera, Agulo (La Gomera) Rosa Chinea, and the deputy mayor of Teguise (Lanzarote) Rita Enma Hernández.
Together with Garachico (Tenerife), these five towns are part of the national “Pueblos Más Bonitos de España” association, which groups 122 municipalities dedicated to the conservation, diffusion and promotion of valuable rural, cultural and natural heritage.
The agreement establishes a cooperation framework between the Council of Tourism and Employment and the five municipalities to boost actions related to tourist infrastructure in these locations.
“It is the first of its kind in all of Spain,” explained Jéssica de León, adding that “these towns have a deeply Canary sentiment, a tradition, culture and heritage that we must preserve.”
She highlighted a recent departmental study aimed at promoting rural tourism, noting that funds must be made available so these municipalities can restore, valorise and rehabilitate their heritage, and that uniform criteria should be applied to façade conservation, signage, and other aspects.
“We will promote rurality more, which will also support small and medium entrepreneurs who develop their activity in the countryside.”
According to the councilor, the agreement will serve as a strategic and organisational instrument that defines common objectives, intervention criteria and priority lines of action, ensuring alignment with the Canary Islands Strategy for Island Tourist Infrastructure.
The agreement also aims to:
- Improve the urban, landscape and functional quality of historic centres.
- Strengthen accessibility and environmental integration.
- Consolidate a distinctive tourist image based on patrimonial, cultural and landscape values, with residents as the primary beneficiaries.
Director General Héctor Mateo detailed the areas of intervention:
- Upgrading lighting and safety.
- Underground cabling.
- Aesthetic integration of waste containers.
- Organisation of parking spaces.
- Creation of green zones.
- Enhancing accessibility.
- Providing public restrooms.
- Regulating traffic and urban access.
“From an operational standpoint, the agreement sets clear commitments: municipalities must submit projects that align with the defined lines and include all required documentation, guaranteeing maintenance and public use. The Council will provide technical support and promote actions that meet the established strategic criteria.”
Funding for the specific actions is not included in this framework agreement; it will be arranged later, defining amounts, economic obligations and execution conditions for each concrete project.
A parity monitoring commission will be created to supervise, evaluate and control the agreement, as well as to produce annual monitoring reports. The agreement will have an initial term of four years, with the possibility of extension.
After the signing ceremony, the delegation toured the historic centre of Betancuria, a municipality where the Council of Tourism and Employment has invested three million euros during the current fiscal year.