Guanaja takes cue from Formentera's model of tourism

Visita far premsaEarlier today CiF president Jaume Ferrer and councillors Susan Labrador (education), Alejandra Ferrer (land and tourism) and Daisee Aguilera (environment) met in the Council's plenary hall with Spurgeon Miller, mayor of Guanaja, Honduras. Also present was Blai Paco, president of Unió Empresarial de l'Anoia de Catalunya, the association which set up the encounter.

Mr Ferrer gave thanks to Mr Miller for his visit and commented, «Guanaja and Formentera, for their similar sizes and populations, can share a lot with respect to our administrative models». Tourism in Guanaja, according to the Formentera Council president, is in the beginning stages of its expansion. The representatives took advantage of the encounter to discuss environmental issues such as waste management, supply of water and energy and promoting sustainable transport.

The mayor of the Honduran island took note of the path taken by Formentera and declared his desire to implement similar solutions to ours. He referenced ideas such as the construction of a waste transfer plant and supplying electricity by means of an underwater cable and indicated, «the key to sustainable growth is striking a balance on tourism that is both environmentally-friendly and respects homegrown traditions, which is what has happened here on Formentera».

After the morning meeting, the officials visited landmarks like the Es Cap de Barbaria lighthouse and other sites such as the field of solar panels and the transfer plant.