Presentation

The Promoters on La Gomera

In the year 2005, The National Park Garajonay, together with the Insular Association of Rural Development of La Gomera (AIDER La Gomera),  took the decision to promote the implantation of the ECST in the island of La Gomera. Thus  it  was putting the Charter at the disposal of the island as a tool to promote the sustainable tourism.

The reasons that led to these entities taking this decision were different:

1. On the one hand there are the aims inherent in these two entities.
   
   1. To attain the objectives of the rural development, in case of AIDER La Gomera.
   2. To contribute to the management of Public Use, simultaneously fulfilling the objective to preserve patrimony, in case of the National Park of Garajonay.
2. On the other hand, there are the objectives that the own methodology of work of the ECST, as tool, could enable it to obtain.
   1. To stimulate the tourist sector of the island of La Gomera.
   2. To foment the social participation.
   3. To analyze the tourist sector of the island, to identify the agents involved in the sector, to analyze their organization, to analyze the socioeconomic reality.
   4. To identify the problems, needs and difficulties of the sector.
   5. To design a cooperative plan of action.

The Candidacy of La Gomera

From the first moment it was thought, on the part of the promoters, that the managers of the project would provide their own technical personal, only contracting an external expert for the methodological advice, besides the consultations to other experts realized during the whole process of implantation.

To attain the mentioned objectives there was chosen a methodology of participation, “Diagnóstico Rural Participativo”, which has required a great effort on part of the technical personnel of both entities involved in the project, but that also has relied on the support and the participation, more than notable, of an important part of the citizenship of the island, the Cabildo de la Gomera, the Town Halls and the rest of agents involved in the tourist development of La Gomera, which has signified a first crucial succes in the process of the implantation of the ECST.

Phases:

The strategy and plan of action are the result of a process developed between the years 2005 and 2008 which has followed the following phases (Find out more).

• Phase 1. Investigation design and document study.

• Phase 2. Formation and collection of information.

• Phase 3. Problem analysis and drawing up of proposals.

In which 39 workshops were held for 154 participants. Together with information compiled in previous phases, this phase served to establish proposals for the work necessary to implant CETS in La Gomera. Phase 3 closed with a final conference, where proposals were assessed and prioritized, with 39 lines of action being chosen.

• Phase 4. Devising a plan of action.

• Phase 5, Candidacy and audit.

Dossier:

The completed work took the form of two volumes that comprised the dossier of candidacy for the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism.

• The volume I “Diagnóstico” is the result of more than two years of interviews, workshops, courses and sessions of cabinet. It constitutes the documentary result of the conscientious analysis that has been worked out about the tourist sector on La Gomera.
  • Find out more.

•   The volume II, “Estrategia y Plan de Acción”, constitutes the plan of work to implant a model of sustainable tourism. It is the fruit of the work agreed by the involved agents, elaborated in the light of the results of the diagnosis.
  • Find out more.
  • Find out more.

After overcoming positively the corresponding evaluation and Europarc's audit, a representation of  the project received for our territory the Certificate of the Charter, in the course of EUROPARC's annual Assembly, celebrated in Romania in September 2008.

In November 2008 the thirteen entities involved in the execution of the Strategy and Plan of Action of the ECST ratified with their signature their responsibility for the correct execution of this Plan, which has been designed jointly by them all with so much effort and illusion. These thirteen entities are:

• Parque Nacional de Garajonay
• Asociación Insular de Desarrollo Rural de La Gomera AIDER
  
• Cabildo de La Gomera (Island Government)
  
• Ayuntamiento (Local Government)  de San Sebastián De La Gomera
• Ayuntamiento de Hermigua
• Ayuntamiento de Agulo
• Ayuntamiento de Vallehermoso
• Ayuntamiento de Valle Gran Rey
• Ayuntamiento de Alajeró
• Plan de Medianías (Canary Government)
• Educational Sector  (Canary Government)
• Ecotural (Rural Turism and Ecology on La Gomera)
• Asociación Cultural y Ecologista Tagaragunche