Vicent Grimalt: «The tourist model of the 60s has left us a poisoned legacy»
The mayor of Dénia, Vicent Grimalt, has participated this afternoon in the presentation of the Destination Sustainable Tourism Strategy, organized by the Secretary of State for Tourism, and which has taken place in Lanzarote, although the Dianense representative has intervened online .
Grimalt has been part of a round table with other mayors of Spanish municipalities to discuss the situation of tourism and the objectives in accordance with the 2030 Agenda. In his turn, he has been critical of the standard that has been carried out in terms of tourism of the area for years and now seeking to adapt to current needs.
"The tourism model of the 60s has left us a poisoned legacy," said the mayor in reference to the era of "anything goes." «The lack of planning has left us with a lack of infrastructure and services, which they do not reach many parts of the city.
Furthermore, he has pointed out how important it is to achieve a balance between tourism as an economic engine and the city as a space to live all year round, consisting of avoiding overcrowding of the place. "It is true that tourism makes money and provides work, but we have to assume that, as in any city, there are limits, even physical ones," Grimalt declared, insisting on achieving that balance between tourists and families who live here all year round.
The mayor has announced again that these objectives would be achieved with the seasonal adjustment of tourism. For this reason, he affirms that it is important to show that we are more than sun and beach, and that there is much more offer, such as gastronomic and cultural, which can be enjoyed at any time of the year.
Grimalt, in the same way, has made reference to the situation experienced in the Summer 2020 and that could happen again this year. "We passed a trial by fire with the pandemic last summer," he said, indicating that the numbers of visitors were very close to those of previous years, in part because the majority are second homes.