Posted Week Commencing: Monday 13th December 2004
Trams unveiled in Santa Cruz.
It is now possible for residents and visitors to Santa Cruz to visit a replica of the trams which will be running in the capital in 2007.
A life size model has been installed in the Calle Imeldo Seris and everyone is invited to climb on board.
The replica, which will later be transferred to the Recinto Ferial, has been opened to the public as part of a publicity campaign to familiarise potential users with the trams before they become an normal part of Santa Cruz life.
The model tram was built in Cataluña, is 16 metres long and comes complete with all fixtures and fittings. Each of the trams, which will be mainly blue, orange and green in colour, will be able to hold 200 travellers taking into account those seated, and those making use of the standing room. Handicapped passengers will also be catered for.
The Public Information Centre for the Santa Cruz Tramway System has now been moved from the Plaza de España to a building alongside the Nuestra Señora de Africa market.
New car parks proposed for Arona.
Arona Town Hall is inviting tenders for the building and operation of four underground car parks.
Three will be in Playa de las Américas close to Hospiten, at the Hotel Conquistador and in Avenida Santiago Puig, while the fourth is planned for Plaza Pedro García in Los Cristianos.
Mayor José Alberto González said the projects would meet residents’ demands for spaces in tourist and residential areas with administrative and sporting facilities, hotels, shops, hospital centres, etc.
Las Galletas and Valle de San Lorenzo were among other parts of the municipality where underground parking was scheduled.
Cabildo grants for unemployed in Arona.
Thirty unemployed women will benefit from a Tenerife Cabildo work project in Arona.
The island authority gave the go ahead for a workshop with a budget of more than 529,000 euros which has been passed to the Canarian Employment Service to obtain funding.
Women, preferably over 45, will be trained in gardening matters in order to maintain, restore and improve Arona’s gardens and nurseries.
Much of the municipality’s agricultural activity is located at Valle de San Lorenzo where bananas are grown for the mainland.
But, in recent years, there has been growing importance in the cultivation of ornamental flowers and plants due mainly to the area’s tourist development. Currently, there is a big demand for labour specialising in this sector.
In other news, more than 64,000 women have entered the Canary Islands jobs market in the last four years and occupy 39% of the posts, although only 7% are businesspeople said Tenerife Chamber of Commerce.
Roadworks over budget.
Canary Islands roadworks covered by a 1997-2004 agreement with the Central Government have run over budget by almost 469 million euros.
Releasing the figures, the Autonomous Executive’s Infrastructures, Transport & Housing Council said the biggest increases could be attributed to Las Palmas ring road scheme on Gran Canaria.
Phase one, which had been completed, had cost 36.4 million euros more than scheduled, while the second and third phases under construction had risen more than 171 million euros above target.
On Tenerife, continuing work on the TF-1 motorway between capital Santa Cruz and Güímar had exceeded the budget by nearly 67 million euros.
Coalición Canaria recently made a Senate request to amend the State’s 2005 budget for the Canaries by 253 million euros, including 88.3 million euros for roads and 50 million euros more for transport with 34.5 millions destined for the metropolitan tramway
Resorts won't suffer because of port.
Neither the windsurfing resort of El Médano nor South Tenerife’s tourist municipalities will suffer from the development of Granadilla de Abona industrial port, said Canarian Government President Adán Martín in a recent radio interview.
Despite a Santa Cruz rally attended by thousands of protesters, the Autonomous Executive had not had a change of heart and the project would go ahead.
The definitive plan agreed with Madrid had scaled down the port to the minimum dimensions feasible, taking into account the draught and length of the ships that would be using the port.
Calls for the scheme to be scrapped came from ecologists Ben Magec, the Canarian Popular Assembly, union CCOO and the IUC (Canarian United Left).
Carnival scenery built in south.
Scenery built in South Tenerife has been making a journey to Santa Cruz to set the Plaza de España stage for the capital’s Carnival getting under way in mid-January.
Granadilla de Abona company Arguión, based at San Isidro, is following Carlos Sáenz’ design for the setting on the theme of classic Hollywood musicals.
The company was the only one which tendered for the job after others dismissed the budget of 300,000 euros as too low for the work involved. The amount was raised later by 30,000 euros.
The Carnival scenery is the biggest challenge since Arguión was established three years ago, although director Miguel Berral started a similar business in Madrid in the 1980s.
By the time the Plaza de España’s New Year’s Eve ball is in full swing, the backdrop should be partially assembled.
More than 15,000 linear metres of metal strips, 150,000 nails, 1,000 wooden panels and 1,000 litres of paint will have gone into the construction
Mayor visits new cultural centre in Cabo Blanco.
The Mayor of Arona, Jose Alberto Gonzalez Reveron, and the councillor for Cultural affairs of the Tenerife Cabildo, Miguel Delgado, recently visited the work in progress on what will be the new cultural centre in Cabo Blanco.
The construction of the centre, which has a budget of over 912,000, is being jointly financed by the island government and Arona Town Hall. It is due for completion at the end of next year.
Gonzalez Reveron explained that the centre will provide a meeting place for the different groups of the town to discuss important matters. Furthermore a senior citizens centre, a youth centre and a ‘ludoteca’ where local children can take part in various activities are also to be included in the building.
Miguel Delgado emphasised that the original plans had already been adapted to meet the specific needs of the local community.
The centre will have ten multipurpose rooms, two meeting rooms, a library complete with the latest information technology resources, a formal meeting room with space for 344 people and a 78 seat amphitheatre.
Businesses need Christmas boom.
More than 44,000 small and medium sized businesses are hoping that the Christmas shoppers will ‘save’ the year in as far as an increase in sales is concerned.
The Association of Businessmen, Fedeco, has announced a publicity campaign which will continue until Kings Day on January 6, emphasising what the small businesses of the island can offer in the way of Christmas purchases and underlining the fact that it is the small businesses of Tenerife which reinvest in the Island.
The President of Fedeco, Luis De Miguel, explained that this is the first campaign of its kind in the islands and hopes that it will help to redirect shoppers to the small businesses. He also added that a similar campaign will be undertaken for the January Sales.
Loro Parque Foundation 10 years old.
Internationally known Loro Parque’s non-profit-making Foundation celebrated 10 years of success in helping to conserve Nature on December 12.
Dedicated to protecting natural resources in all forms, the organisation has committed around 2.5 million euros to saving habitats and species.
Special emphasis has been placed on parrots which often need help to survive and make perfect ambassadors.
Park creator Wolfgang Kiessling realised the importance of conservation and paved the way for the Foundation’s emergence in 1992 as a small regional association that gained national status two years later and began developing activities at international level.
Nativity competition in Arona.
Arona Town Hall has begun the registration period for all those wishing the take part in the annual nativity scene competition.
The idea, which is being promoted by the Culture and tourism department of the local town hall, is to encourage the maintenance of Christmas traditions by awarding prizes to the most creative scenes produced.
Sebastian Martin and Dionisio Gonzalez who represent the town hall explained that registration for the competition, which forms a traditional part of the social activities offered by the town Hall every Christmas, is open until December 17 and that it is open to any organisation as well as individuals as long as they are resident in Arona.
The voting panel will visit the nativity scenes between December 20 and 23 and the winners will be announced on December 27.
The prize winners in the categories of Best Private Nativity Scene, Best Community Nativity Scene and Best Hotel Nativity Scene will each receive a plaque and a cash prize.
New bus service is healthy.
Adeje will become the first municipality outside Tenerife capital Santa Cruz to lay on a public bus service linking the main districts with the town health centre.
The southern Town Hall signed a six-year agreement with transport company Titsa to introduce the line from the beginning of 2005.
Aimed primarily at the elderly and people with restricted mobility, the circular route will offer a service timed to meet the needs of those keeping appointments and the fare will be 1.10 euros, reduced to 72 cents through the use of a bono ticket.
It will mean an investment of 107,000 euros for the local authority to maintain the service after the success of a pilot scheme.
Motorist brings office to a halt.
A disgruntled motorist caused chaos at the Local Police station in Avenida Tres de Mayo, Santa Cruz, by paying his fine of 90.16 euros in small change.
Claiming mistreatment by officers, he made a personal protest by arriving at the fines section window with plastic bags containing one, two and five cent coins.
He was reported to have brought the department to a halt for almost two hours while the fine – imposed for an illegal turn in the capital’s Avenida Reyes Católicos – was counted out.
New sports facilities opened in El Fraile.
The Mayor of Arona, Jose Alberto Gonzalez Reveron, together with the councillors for Sport Youth and Culture and the president of the Balcon Del Atlantico neighbourhood association, Francisco Alonso, officially opened the multi purpose sports courts in El Fraile last week.
The representatives of the town hall explained to more than a hundred young sports enthusiasts present at the ceremony that the new facilities formed part of the Borough Plan for Sport Infrastructures designed by the present local government to improve and increase the sports facilities of the borough.
They added that it is hoped that the facilities will meet the needs of the local community and explained that the courts will be available for playing basketball, volleyball, five a side football and hand ball and added that a separate area for skateboarding will also be provided.
It was also explained that there will be a 2.4 metre tall fence on top of the surrounding wall to avoid the balls going into the street and to prevent access from the new courts to the sports pavilion. Furthermore to encourage responsible use and avoid damage to the facilities there will be a person in charge of controlling access to the sports area.
New rural hotel in Granadilla.
Granadilla has new rural accommodation known as “Casa Vera” which is situated on the main road in the area known as the Barranco de Chavez one kilometre from the Town Hall.
Jaime Gonzalez Ceja, Mayor of Granadilla and councillor for Local Development, Maria Isabel Gonzalez Oval, were present at the opening ceremony as the building has been subsidised by the Local Employment and Development Agency who took charge of applying for a grant in 2003 for its rehabilitation.
The town hall of Granadilla also helped out providing 3,000 euros from the funds for rural tourism to help the owner of the house to pay municipal taxes and construction licences.
With this new hotel, Granadilla now has a total of seven rural establishments offering a total of 82 beds.
Casa Vera is a large old house with a double bedroom, bathroom, living dining area and kitchen as well as two patios and a finca surrounding the building.

Posted Week Commencing: Monday 20th December 2004
Mystery building for Los Cristianos.
At a recent press conference, the Mayor of Arona, Jose Alberto Gonzalez Reveron, together with the councillors for Hacienda and Security, Arturo Reveron and Sebastian Martin, announced that a new multipurpose building will be constructed in the centre of Los Cristianos.
The new building will be constructed on the site of the old schools in the Calle General Franco and the acquisition of the land has been the fruit of intense negotiation.
The land itself is a 1,300 square metre plot on which present legislation will permit a five storey construction making a total of 6,500 square metres.
Although the mayor emphasized that the project will contribute to the growth of Los Cristianos, he did not specifically say what the building would be used for. This was to be discussed at a meeting which is to take place today.
New play park open in San Miguel.
San Miguel de Abona town centre has a new children’s play park which has been constructed in the Plaza del Agricultor.
The park, which is part of the municipal plan for the construction of leisure facilities, is the latest in a long line of installations for the youngest members of the area.
This play area cost nearly 22,000 euros and has swings and slides, special flooring and benches and is within easy reach of the infant and primary schools, the future sports complex and the municipal swimming pool.
Councillor Valentin Gonzalez explained that the purpose of the park is to provide space for the children to enjoy themselves in the open air in their free time and added that the leisure project will continue until all the areas of the borough have such parks.
Local farmer wins honey competition.
At a meeting in El Sauzal recently, the Tenerife Cabildo awarded the title of “the best honey in the Canary Islands” to Francisco Machin, a honey farmer from El Hierro who also won the category of the best coastal honey.
The winning honey was collected in June from an area known as Los Cantos in the borough of Frontera in El Hierro where malpica, tajinaste and cardo plants are found in abundance.
The ceremony was directed by Jose Joaquin Bethencourt, island councillor for Water and Agriculture.
This was the eighth edition of the competition and 61 honeys competed in the various categories of best mountain honey, best coastal honey, best peak region, best presented honey and best honey of Tenerife.
The best honey from a peak region was awarded to Julio Diaz from Tenerife who presented a honey collected from a place known as El Sanatorio in Las Canada’s del Teide collected from tajinaste, bijou, scion and malpica flowers.
A quarter of Adeje school children are foreigners.
The schools in Adeje are a true reflection of the real social situation of the South of Tenerife in recent times.
24.3% of the school children on Adeje’s registers this year are foreign – the figure last year was 20.5%.
Gonzalo Delgado Diaz, councillor for the promotion of Culture Education and Sport for the Town Hall of Adeje, sees this percentage as a positive aspect as he explains that although they come from very different backgrounds the children are quick to integrate.
Although the statistics of the Education Department reveal that south America and Europe are the main sources of immigrant children there are also children from New Zealand Eslovenia Moldavia and Tunisia. In fact forty four nationalities are now present in the borough’s schools.
New tourist offices at bus stations.
The main bus stations on the island of Tenerife are to have tourist information offices on site thanks to an agreement reaches between the Titsa bus company, Tenerife Cabildo and the SPET exterior promotion organisation.
The bus stations included in the plan will be at Santa Cruz, Playa de Las Americas main station, Puerto de la Cruz and La Laguna.
Vice president of the Cabildo and Minister of tourism Jose Manuel Bermudez explained that the main bus stations of the island are ideal places to locate the tourist information points, as large numbers of tourists use the public transport services and the information will help them make better use of the Titsa services.
Luxury liner docks at Santa Cruz.
Luxury liner Seven Seas Voyager made her first call at Tenerife capital Santa Cruz’ port en route to Fort Lauderdale in Florida. Operated by the Radisson line, she has a capacity for 700 passengers and almost 450 crew.
Cruise liner AidaBlu, with a capacity for 2,000 passengers, launched a series of voyages using Santa Cruz as home base and will make a total of 90 stops at Tenerife and Santa Cruz de la Palma this season and during 2005-6.
Naviera Armas ferry Volcán de Tamasite, introduced on the Las Palmas-Morro Jable service during summer, also paid her first visit to Santa Cruz on a trial run.
The company announced that the fleet serving the Canary Islands’ western province would be renovated next year.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife Port Authority installations have about a third of the province’s 1,700 pleasure boat moorings, but a study revealed that demand meant the number should be trebled, especially when berths were full from September-December.
Adeje saves illegal homes.
Adeje Town Hall has delimited 30 areas with illegal homes to study the possibility of saving the buildings from demolition by trying to make them meet statutory requirements.
A hundred protesting residents won a brief stay of execution after the Urban and Natural Environment Protection Agency ordered the demolition of an illegal dwelling near the Adeje hamlet of Tijoco Arriba.
Parliament had been debating a law as a way of finding a solution to legalise some of the irregular constructions in the archipelago – 6,000 according to the Autonomous Executive, 40,000 in the opinion of El Hierro’s Cabildo.
Arona Town Council approved unanimously a proposal pressing the Canarian Government to put demolition orders on hold.
Regional Government President Adán Martín announced measures to help families affected by demolition and considered that some of the 6,000 illegal homes could be absorbed by municipal planning except where they were in protected zones.
SPET highlights marine leisure at Paris show.
The Tenerife Cabildo together with the SPET (External Tourism Promotion Organisation) will be showing what the island of Tenerife has to offer in the way of maritime leisure at the prestigious Salon Nautico in Paris, one of the most important dates on the calendar.
The Event will be held until December 13th, and Jose Manuel Bermudez, councillor for tourism for the Tenerife Cabildo, underlined the importance of the event explaining that in 2003 over 275,000 people attended.
The councillor added that the presentation of “Tenerife y el Mar” helps give a multi product image of Tenerife showing the variety of water based activities available such as sailing, deep sea fishing and windsurfing.
The Salon Nautico in Paris is the last of the ten arranged appointments for the Tenerife y el Mar campaign this year, the other nine having taken place in the UK, Germany and mainland Spain.
Bodegas open for business.
The Casa del Vino in El Sauzal played host to the official uncorking of this year’s wines which traditionally marks the opening of Tenerife bodegas.
Although production was 40% down, the quality of the wines was reckoned to be very high.
Regional bodega Cumbres de Abona also presented the new range of wines and President Manuel Marrero said quality had been maintained at 100% despite a 50% drop in production.
Cumbres de Abona red was especially good, while the new feature was Flor de Chasna, a dry malmsey which would be on sale in late February.
The presentation was also marked by the inauguration of new bodega installations and Marrero felt the challenges of the future could be tackled with great hopes.
Ring road proposed for 2006.
A start on Tenerife’s island ring road is due to be made in 2006.
Antonio Castro, the Canarian Government’s Infrastructures, Housing & Transport Councillor, said the work would be allotted in stages which would go out to contract next year.
Construction projects were then due to get under way between 2006 and the following year.
Problems of environmental impact had meant changes in the Icod-Santiago del Teide stretch, he said, but administrations were agreed on the Adeje-Santiago section.
After putting the projected route through the municipality on public display, Guía de Isora Town Hall passed 14 objections to the Autonomous Executive’s Public Works Council for consideration.
Business sales down in Arona.
The President of the Businessmen Traders and Professionals Association of Arona, Jorge Bello Garcia, is highly concerned about the loss of sales in the borough and explains that studies have shown that local residents are spending 37 million euros every year in other boroughs of the island.
He adds that this is too large a loss to be ignored and explains that the association is looking into ways of assuring that Arona residents can acquire everything they need without having the leave the borough to purchase it.
Shopping within the municipality will help stabilise the sector and generate more jobs, which in turn will increase the prosperity of the borough, says Bello.
He explained that ideas to make shopping locally more attractive are being planned including a special Christmas Campaign to encourage the local residents to make their purchases within Arona which began on December 4th.
Tourism campaign in Scotland.
The Tenerife Cabildo is to put a new promotional idea into practice in Scotland.
The idea is to show tourist information videos on a giant screen in Buchanan Street, one of the main streets of Glasgow.
Jose Manuel Bermudez, vice president of the Tenerife Cabildo and Minister of Tourism for Tenerife, explained that the idea will have a huge impact as the screen is will reach large numbers of potential tourists.
There will be four fifteen second long projections every sixty minutes, 24 hours a day for the thirty three days of the campaign which will come to an end January 2.
The Buchanan Street screen, which has a surface area of 20 square metres, is one of the main publicity screens for many prestigious international makes and the images, which are being intentionally emitted during the coldest months of the year in Scotland, will picture an irresistible Tenerife with what is on offer in the way of sun, beaches, nature, outdoor leisure, golf, health and culture.
The slogans of the Campaign will be: “One Island . . . So many secrets” and “Escape to a sunny winter.”