Council says it will allocate the €250,000 Pájara requests before the World Cup
The tourism councilor of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, Marlene Figueroa, has guaranteed a €250,000 allocation for the 2026 World Windsurf and Wingfoil Championship, addressing the controversy that erupted this week after the Pájara Town Hall was warned about the withdrawal of this funding line by the Tourism Board.
According to a press release from the Cabildo, the Governing Board of the Tourism Board, which met on 16 December 2025, decided to keep the amounts earmarked for municipal subsidies for 2026, while adjusting the budgeting formula to reflect the new regulatory framework.
“The mayor of Pájara was aware that the €250,000 subsidy for the World Windsurf and Wingfoil Championship is not being lost. On the contrary, the subsidies for all municipalities remain intact,” the councilor said.
The explanation states that tourism‑significant events scheduled for the first half of 2026 already have financing assigned. Events slated for the second half of the year, such as the Pájara World Windsurf and Wingfoil Championship, will be funded through a budgetary credit amendment, preserving the same amount.
In summary, the Cabildo’s message confirms that the Sotavento World Championship did not initially have a dedicated line in the budget, as claimed by Pájara, but that the promised €250,000 will be injected via a budget modification before the event takes place.
The protest by Pájara attracted attention because both the town hall and the Cabildo are governed by the same coalition of PSOE and Coalición Canaria. After the municipal authorities demanded explanations from the island’s councilor, Figueroa responded that all members of the Tourism Board’s Governing Council, including the Pájara Town Hall, were informed of the proposal at the time.
“The subsidy amounts nominated to the municipalities are being maintained, providing a budgetary solution for 2026 so that no municipality loses its financing capacity for tourism‑significant events,” Figueroa added.
The Cabildo’s statement also referenced comments from the island’s president, who previously told local media that the budget is “a living document” that incorporates the necessary credits to support such tourism and sporting events.