The Canary Islands' Minister of Tourism and Employment, Jéssica de León, inaugurated the Blue and Marine Tourism Meeting this Thursday on the islet of La Fermina in Lanzarote, highlighting that “we have launched the Canary Islands Tourism Product Club with the aim of enhancing fishing activities linked to tourism.” She also recalled that “artisanal fishing keeps alive a profession that makes a significant contribution to cultural and maritime heritage.”
The minister explained that with the launch of the first Tourism Product Club in the archipelago, “we are taking a step forward to enable the artisanal fishing sector to diversify its offerings and earn complementary income.”
The project, funded by European funds, will allow visitors to get closer to the sea and become fishermen for a day through the Tourism Product formula. “This initiative values artisanal fishing and everything related to the maritime heritage we treasure in the islands, which until now has remained separate from the tourism industry, our main economic driver,” said De León.
Through this initiative, the goal is to professionalize fishermen who wish to obtain additional income associated with the fishing and tourism industry. “This proposal not only invites visitors to explore our fishing guilds and learn the history and heritage of maritime villages, but also to live unforgettable first-hand experiences,” she explained.
Among the featured activities, tourists will have the opportunity to embark on a fishing journey alongside local fishermen, experiencing their work firsthand and tasting some of the products in the guilds.
The Canary Islands' Director General of Fisheries, Esteban Reyes, stressed that this initiative will represent a “significant milestone” for the island's fishing sector, which, he assured, “will provide a boost to the additional incomes of our artisanal fishermen.”
For his part, the Vice President of the Lanzarote Cabildo, Jacobo Medina, thanked the minister for “choosing Lanzarote to promote this project linked to fishing and the sea.”
“There is no better place than Lanzarote to lead a project of this magnitude, which is now taking its first steps here but is also being promoted in other areas of mainland Spain,” concluded Medina.
During the meeting, a Lanzarote fisherman submitted a request to join the initiative, expressing his interest in starting this activity.
These sessions, which will continue until tomorrow, have been organized by Gesprotur and Hoteles Escuela de Canarias (Hecansa) with the collaboration of Buenamar Canarias.