Flexible Hours for Businesses in Antigua's Industrial Park Starting Tuesday

The Government of the Canary Islands has declared the Industrial Zone Sector 7 of the Antigua PGOU in Fuerteventura a High Tourist Flow Area (Zona de Gran Afluencia Turística – ZGAT), a measure that will allow businesses in the area to operate with flexible opening hours. The resolution, signed on 23 December 2025 by the Vice‑Councillor for Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Felipe Afonso El Jaber, was published on Monday in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands and will take effect tomorrow.

The declaration responds to a formal request from the Antigua City Council submitted on 2 June 2025, in which the council argued that, despite its industrial zoning, the area “has de facto become a commercial zone” because it concentrates the majority of the municipality’s establishments. These include large food retailers, furniture stores, toy shops, multiproduct outlets, restaurants and service providers, forming a hub whose “main attraction is shopping tourism”.

“It has de facto become a commercial zone”

“The main attraction is shopping tourism”

The justification report highlights the proximity of the zone to the tourist centers of Caleta de Fuste and Nuevo Horizonte, which together host more than 20,000 tourist accommodations—hotels, non‑hotel facilities and holiday homes—with a high average occupancy rate.

According to the data provided, these areas generate a steady flow of national and international visitors, especially during weekends and holiday periods, reinforcing commercial demand in the industrial district.

The City Council argued that the ZGAT designation will allow “to adapt the commercial offer to the schedules and rhythms of tourist demand” and will create an opportunity to “enhance the competitiveness of businesses, stimulate local employment and energize the municipal economy”.

“To adapt the commercial offer to the schedules and rhythms of tourist demand”

“Enhance the competitiveness of businesses, stimulate local employment and energize the municipal economy”

The council also maintains that liberalising opening hours will benefit both residents and visitors, improving the shopping experience without increasing overall tourist traffic to the island.

The file also notes the presence in the municipality of Cultural Heritage Assets, such as the Salinas del Carmen, the Cal de Guirra Kiln Complex, the Castle of Caleta de Fuste and the Guirra archaeological site—criteria considered in the regulation for declaring High Tourist Flow Areas.

During the process, trade unions, business associations and a private company lodged objections, questioning the legal fit of the proposal, its impact on labour conditions, and possible effects on the existing commercial model.

Nevertheless, the resolution concludes that several of the requirements set out in current legislation are met, especially those related to shopping tourism and the special circumstances arising from the zone’s proximity to established tourist areas.

The Government of the Canary Islands also recalls Supreme Court jurisprudence, which states that when the conditions stipulated by law are present and a municipal proposal is duly motivated, the autonomous community must proceed with the ZGAT declaration.

With this decision, the Industrial Zone Sector 7 of Antigua joins other municipal areas already designated as ZGAT, strengthening the role of commerce as a complement to tourism activity in Fuerteventura.