Unlike the rest of the Canarian Archipelago the tourist sector in Fuerteventura is advancing rapidly with the island gaining popularity and the number of both foreign and national visitors is constantly on the increase.

Proof of the enviable position of the island as one of Europe’s most attractive resorts is the fact that European giants TUI decided to choose Fuerteventura as the base for their 2008 Convention programmed for 14th to 16th April

It is the first time Fuerteventura has been chosen as the base for the conference and TUI bosses justified their decision explaining that as far as they are concerned the island is the second most important in the Canaries and is the number one choice as far as future potential is concerned.

The island councillor for Tourism Agueda Montelongo could not help but show her pride at the choice of the German group, which fused with UK agency First Choice in September last year to become the largest tour operator in Europe, explaining that the Convention provided the tourist sector with the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the quality of the island to those who attend the conference so that they will transmit their enthusiasm to potential visitors back on German and British soil.

TUI is at present the agency responsible for attending the majority of tourists who visit the island whether by plane or by sea since the company not only brings in 22% of those who arrive by plane but also provides 45% of the cruise visitors who stop over at Puerto del Rosario.

The four hundred and fifty agents from the Spanish and German divisions of TUI, who arrived on Monday 14th April, were received by a large group of island politicians and representatives of the tourist sector. There were typical “majorero” singing groups and the visitors were offered a selection of Canarian food and drink as well as promotional gifts.
The group will be receiving VIP treatment throughout their visit, which will include cultural and gastronomical excursions to guarantee that their visit to Fuerte will be an unforgettable experience.

As if he was completely unaware of the tension between the teaching staff of the islands and the Regional Department of Education, Canary Island president, Paulino Rivero, has announced that in the next academic year fifty members of staff are to be selected from sixty of the islands’ schools to take part in an intensive training programme to prepare them as “bilingual” teachers and will be compensated financially for their efforts.
Rivero explained that the aim of the government is to launch “bilingualism” in sixty of the Archipelago’s schools adding that the chosen teachers will be sent to Scotland for five months and will later receive intensive tuition on canarian soil.
Rivero continued by explaining that the number of Spanish-English teachers will increase until it reaches 200 over the next four years.

While the reasoning behind the launch of the programme, which should have been suggested many years ago given the multinational nature of the islands’ population, is evident, the method is somewhat questionable and furthermore it will be regional government funds that will finance the plan; the same funds that are not available to put and end to the teacher’s pay claim.

The quality of the air we breathe in the Canary Islands will be the subject of the latest investigation to be launched by the Regional government.

The Regional Department of the Environment has announced that 165,000 euros are to be invested in carrying out an in depth analysis of the dust particles present in the air of the Archipelago over the next two years with the aim of finding a solution to the problem.

The presence of Calima, clouds of dust which remain suspended in the air causing very high temperatures, blown over to the islands from Africa is of course the main cause for concern. Calima, especially if it accompanied by hot sirocco winds, makes life difficult for everyone not only because of the high temperatures but also because the particles make breathing difficult.

Calima invades the islands on a regular basis but especially in the summer and winter when the easterly or southeasterly winds bring large quantities of dust from the Sahara desert.

It is hoped that the study will help the experts find a way of lessening the negative effects of the dust particles.

“Los Corralitos”, the small stone semicircular constructions built using the large black stones already present on the beaches of Los Lagos and La Concha in El Cotillo to give shelter from the wind while spending a day on the beautiful white sands will soon be a thing of the past.

The local Neighbourhood Association has requested that the town council forcibly removes the structures alleging that they pose a serious health risk for beach users.

The structures explain the residents are full of rubbish. Bin bags full of rotting food, paper wrappings and empty cans, broken glass, old parasols, clothes etc are abandoned in the structures and some are even being used as makeshift toilets. There are in fact as many as 50 corralitos along the beach add the residents and it is virtually impossible to talk a straight walk along the sand without having to swerve around these structures.

The beach, they continue, is the main attraction of the area and must be kept clean and tidy so as not to frighten the tourists away.

There have even been reports of shady locals charging unsuspecting visitors for the use of a corralito to keep their belongings in for the day!

The mayor of Pajara Rafael Perdomo has given details of the latest town hall projects that will be affecting the area over the next few months with the aim of improving the image of the borough.

First on the list was the construction of a beautiful new fountain designed by artist Juan Miguel Cubas which will be installed near the roundabout and will bear the emblem of the borough in its interior. The area around the new fountain, added Perdomo will also be improved with gardens, flowers and benches in the shade which will all make the area more attractive to both residents and visitors.

The mayor also said that all the wooden railings in the borough will be repainted and a protecting wall will be constructed in the Calle de Las Criadas
to improve both the appearance and safety of the local walkway.

Fuerteventura’s Department of Tourism made its mark at the World’s largest cruise line tourism fair Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention which took place in Miami , Florida mid March.
It was the first time the department had taken part in Seatrade alongside the international bases and stop off ports which have proven to be the most popular with the prestigious American cruiseliners over the last few years and the island councillor for Tourism Agueda Montelongo was delighted with the reception she and her team received.
Numerous meetings were held with tour operators like TUI, Thompson and Tentravel to consolidate the visits programmed for future seasons during the convention.
The councillor emphasized that the work carried out on Puerto del Rosario port area and the large amount of time and money invested in obtaining the Schengen category was now beginning to pay off since the interest of cruise line companies in using the port as a stopping off point was already on the increase.
Montelongo did however emphasize that if the cruise sector is to become firmly established and continue to prosper it will be necessary to improve the facilities in the port and the way the passengers are treated once they are on shore.

Two people have died in Spain of the human variant of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, sources of the Health Ministry said. The two victims, aged 26 and 50 years old, died in December and February in the northern region of Castile and Leon, according to local officials.
The deaths brought the death toll to 3 in Spain, where a 26-year-old woman also died of the mad cow disease, the human version of which is known as the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, in 2005.
Agriculture Minister Elena Espinosa said the victims had probably caught the disease from beef they had eaten before 2001, and that Spaniards could safely continue eating beef.
The Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is an incurable degenerative neurological disorder that is ultimately fatal.

As part of their campaign to get Fuerteventura noticed as the real gateway between Africa and Europe Rosario’s port authority, the Cabildo of Fuerteventura and the Las Palmas de Grana Canaria Ports Authority have drawn up an agreement whereby the administration and preparation process needed to declare the island’s main port as a Border Inspection point (Punto de Inspeccion Fronterizo PIF) will be concluded as soon as possible.

An important meeting to decide on the selection of a company for the construction of a cold chamber to store perishable and frozen products, which is an indispensable action if the port is to be considered apt as a PIF, was held at the end of March and the authorities are hopeful that the process will be carried out swiftly and efficiently adding another plus to Fuerteventura.

In fact if Rosario is to be successful in its application the economic benefits for the island would be tremendous since it would be possible for the perishable goods reaching Fuerteventura from Africa to be stored in Rosario instead of having to be rapidly transported to the PIF installations in Las Palmas not only saving time and money but making the possibility of using Puerto del Rosario, which is geographically in a more favourable position for African imports then Gran Canaria, more appealing to businessmen.

Speaking on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of the Environment Cristina Narbona confirmed that the government would be giving its backing to the plans to create a new National Park in Fuerteventura.
However according to Narbona in order to guarantee the support of Madrid, the plans for Fuerteventura’s Arid lands National Park, which will involve an area of some 44,000m2 and have been on the drawing board since 2003, the financial support of the Regional Government will also be necessary.
The inclusion of 200 kilometres of coastline mainly in the Barlovento area in the new National Park aims to conserve the local vegetation and wildlife, the area includes the largest desert and semi desert zones in Europe. Once the Fuerteventura National Park has been created as well as being the first arid lands national park in Spain it will become the largest protected area in Micronesia (Madeira, Canaries and Azores).

The non university teaching staff of the islands are not prepared to back down as far as their wages demand is concerned and have announced that the one day strike planned for April 16th will now be increased to a three day strike and will include April 22nd (province of Tenerife) and April 23rd (province of Las Palmas) and April 24th (both provinces) in protest for the “lack of respect” they are being shown by the Education Department.
The main demand of the Infant, Primary, and Secondary teachers in the Canary Islands is that the government raises their salaries so that they are the same as the salaries paid to civil servants of their same rank although an improved teacher–pupil ratio is also on the list of conditions.
The Regional Education department has, to date refused to review the teacher’s salaries unless a long list of conditions are met such as the teachers being paid according to the results of their pupils, conditions which the teaching staff is not prepared to negotiate.
For the time being at least there does not spear to be a solution to the conflict to please both parties.

Over the next couple of weeks the Tourism Department of La Oliva town hall will be looking into just how well the tourist resort of Corralejo meets the demands of today’s tourist.
Local councillor for tourism Nereida Calero explained that since the tourism sector first took roots in Fuerteventura it has not been necessary to review the situation thanks mainly to the excellent quality of the beaches and the favourable climate but indicated that “unfortunately” times have now changed.
Calero explained that today’s tourist is looking for more than simply a sun and beach holiday and that if Corralejo is to keep up with the times then the infrastructure, alternative leisure offer, services and transport system must all be improved.
Calero continued by explaining that since it is no longer quite so cheap to travel to Fuerteventura and tourists can find sun and beaches elsewhere Corralejo must promote alternative attractions such as gastronomy, health and beauty spas, the local culture and traditions, the viability of the resort for conventions and congresses, leisure centres, walking holidays etc.
The survey, which will involve asking visitors in the main tourist areas including the beaches and the airport to give their opinion on Corralejo using a question and answer approach, will be the first investigation ever carried out in Corralejo with the main aim being to establish exactly where improvements are needed.

Semana Santa or Holy Week as we know it took on a different aspect this year since the hundreds of campers in their motor homes and tents who usually flock to the coasts of the island making the most of the Easter weather were not allowed to go ahead with their plans and were none to pleased about it.

The reason for the unrest? A change in strategy in La Oliva Town Hall where it was declared that nature lovers would no longer be able to set up temporary home alongside the lighthouse as they have done for many years because of the “Ley de Costas” which requires that no one occupies the wide strip around the coastline of the island since it is public land and as such everyone must have access to it.

The campers having previously obtained permission from the town council, were obliged to move their tents further back, to the other side of the road and do their best to avoid the sharp stones that characterize the “malpais” landscape.

And the picture was the same in Pajara and other areas of the island popular with campers since the only legal campsite on the island is in the borough of Antigua and only caters for 50 people!
Understandably the campers associations are up in arms and have appealed to the island government to review the situation however many ecologists are pleased with the decision since they believe that the campers do not respect the environment and destroy the beautiful beaches of the island.

The number of mainland Spanish who chose the island of Fuerteventura for their holiday last February was considerably more than those who came to the island at the same time last year. According to the information compiled by Fuerteventura’s Tourism Department there was actually an increase of 61.96%, which together with the 3.97% increase in German tourists and the 2.3% increase in visitors from the UK is certainly putting Fuerteventura among the top holiday choices of Europe.

Island councillor for Tourism Agueda Montelongo was delighted with the news which she explained was the fruit of the hard work put into promotional campaigns carried out by the Tourism Department on the mainland last year involving a colourful “guagua” covered in huge pictures of people enjoying the sun and sand of the island.

The councillor said that the kind of tourist who comes from the mainland is exactly what the island needs to strengthen the sector given that the typical Spanish tourist is of a higher wage bracket and spends not only more money but also more time on the island.
The Peninsula market represents 10% of the income generated by tourism on the island and they spend an average of 39€ per person per day compared with the 30€ average of other tourists.
The councillor explained that the main aim of the department is now to maintain this influx of peninsula visitors encouraging more “out of season” visits and long weekends.

The tube, which was discovered completely by chance, is thought to have been sealed off to the exterior for a million years and the air which came out of the tube when it was accidentally opened was sure to have been present at the same time the island of Fuerteventura was formed as a result of the volcanic explosion.

The workmen realized that something was amiss when they came across the volcanic tube because what appeared to be smoke began to come out of the hole. The “smoke” was in fact water vapour that had been confined to the tube for thousands of years.

After testing the air for the presence of toxic fumes two teams of archaeological experts one from Tenerife’s Natural History Museum and the other from La Laguna University’s Animal Biology Department were allowed to enter the tube and begin their investigations.

Island councillor for the Environment Natalia Evora explained that the basic geological value of the discovery is unquestionable adding that the volcanic tube could have an important role to play in the investigation of the biodiversity of the island and the experts are working quickly on the laborious process of analysing the find so as to provide adequate protection for the site should it be discovered to be of great importance. Furthermore it is possible that the new tube is even older than the Cueva del Llano, which is itself 800,000 years old.

And this is not the only surprise since together with strange nodules of iron and manganese there are thousands of what would seem to be animals bones but they do not belong to any animals that are alive today. So far remains of the “Malpais” mouse and the “pardela de la lava” have been discovered; both species have been extinct for over 2,000 years.

By Bob Purdy

Well what can I say, since the last issue UD Fuerteventura have gained 4 points from 5 games with 1 victory 1 draw and 3 losses, certainly not promotional form one has to say? However would you believe we have only dropped 2 places to sixth in the league as most of the top teams have hit a poor vein of form as well as ourselves, so we have seen a lot of chopping and changing in the top six league places and it is going to get very tight. We simply have to finish in the top 4 to enter to play offs for promotion to the Segunda league, at the moment 5 points separate the top spot currently Rayo Vallecano and ourselves. UD Fuerteventura are currently in the Segunda B league which is the Spanish 3rd league however it is made up of 4 groups of which we are in group 1. The top 4 from each group then qualify for the play offs so even by finishing top of your own group you still have the play offs to negotiate, so the sixteen teams then have a two legged knockout system with the eventual 4 winners 1 from each play off group progressing to the Second (Segunda) league, 1 down from the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona.

I commented in the last issue about the forthcoming big derby with UD Pajara the only other team on our Island in the same league. Well no surprises there, a typical derby lots of cancelling out etc, they went 1–0 up after about 10 minutes with a free kick in from the right poor defending, ball scrambled in. We soon levelled thing up and then went on to lead 2-1 10 minutes before the break.
I expected the boys to come out in the second half and get an early goal and then close things up, however it was Pajara who took the lion share of the possession early on and levelled things up mid way through the second half and that’s how it stayed 2-2 and a point and up to 4th, however as mentioned earlier we have now slipped back down to 6th. We now need a run of 2/3 wins to ensure we have a chance of finishing in the play offs.
We still have Deportivo La Coruña B and Real Madrid B to play so 2 wins from those fixtures would be a massive achievement.

Next home game as you can see is Rayo Vallecano who were top of the League when I compiled this report and before our home game against Deportivo B. The boys need all the support they can get and I have to say as commented before it is great to see more and more Brits at the game, so make sure you can get to the game on Sunday the 27th it is our penultimate home game and a very important one we can’t have anything less than a win.

LAST SIX GAMES

bob@properties-fuerteventura.com