Pedro Quevedo is a former deputy in Congress for the Canary Islands nationalist party Nueva Canarias. He is now the tourism councillor at Las Palmas town hall. In Palma for a promotional event on Tuesday, he was asked about the attitude in Madrid circles towards the island regions - the Balearics and the Canaries.
"In Madrid, tourism is looked upon as being unimportant. They believe that we are all on holiday on the islands. The reality is very different. In Madrid they confuse living from tourism with always being on vacation. From my experience in Congress, I can say that there are officials in Madrid who have stereotypes of what it is like to live in an archipelago. This has to be changed."
Highlighting the vital importance of air and sea connectivity, he is opposed to proposals such as the privatisation of air traffic control towers. "When something is strategic, management cannot be given to someone who is not interested or who smokes a cigar when making decisions. Air connectivity is strategic and there must be public management of control towers."
On aspects of tourism policy in the Balearics, he applauds efforts to regulate and place limitations on holiday rentals and tourist accommodation places. "These measures will have to be adopted, sooner or later, in the Canary Islands. Anything that affects the quality of life of residents is harmful and concrete measures must be taken to avoid it. There are priorities and when something affects the majority, you have to act accordingly and without half measures."
Quevedo points out that a lack of housing for workers is a problem in the Canaries as it is in the Balearics. "The difference with the Balearics, though, is that we do not have a climate of tourismphobia, but we do have the problem of homelessness. The population in the Canaries has grown by 300,000; there are no public services that can withstand this sort of development. If we add to this all the holiday rental, we are facing the perfect storm. These are strategic problems that must be resolved and regulated in an efficient and urgent manner."