No. 33 - Its Gran Canaria Magazine

18
INTERVIEW I ENTREVISTA EDICIÓN 33
Ulises D. Miranda Guerra
Tourism Councillor for Gáldar Town Council
“Gáldar has made progress over the last few
years through sustainable tourist development”
What reasons are there for tourists choosing to
come to Gran Canaria to visit Gáldar?
We always say that a visit to Gáldar is an absolute
must for those who come to our island and are
looking for something in addition to sun and beach.
Visiting Gáldar is an experience that invites you to
delve into the authentic roots of the Canary Islands.
These include its age-old history, its land surface
area that runs from sea to summit providing plenty
of opportunity for active tourism, the hospitality
of its people and an exceptional gastronomy, all of
which are reasons enough to come and explore Gáldar
on their own. But I am sure that when you arrive
in our town you will discover many more reasons for
yourselves.
Gáldar’s history is undoubtedly an important attraction
for visitors. What places should we visit
on this journey into the past?
Gáldar was the first capital of the island since
pre-Hispanic times. It was the place chosen by Andamana
and Gumidafe, founders of the Semidan
dynasty, to establish their court. Proof of this is the
important remains that have been preserved from
that period, which highlight the significant development
made by those who lived here hundreds
of years ago in an isolated territory, at the Painted
Cave Museum and Archaeological Park. This is the
leading archaeological site in the archipelago and
is one of the most important at national level, due
to its scientific and informative nature. It constitutes
a magnificent example of cave art that is complemented
by the remains of the proto-city of Agáldar
that sprang up around it. These include the necropolis
of La Guancha, one of the most important due
to the complexity of its tomb structures, and Barranco
Hondo, at the top of the municipality, where
the BIC (site of cultural interest) of Barranco Hondo
de Abajo is located and where there are more than
800 cave houses, many of them inhabited since
pre-Hispanic times, which form part of the Cultural
Landscape awarded the status of a World Heritage
Site by UNESCO.
Gáldar runs all the way from the sea to the summit.
What opportunities does the municipality
offer visitors for a restful break?
There are plenty. They range from a unique coastline,
dotted with rock pools and natural swimming
pools, ideal for swimming at low tide, and fabulous
golden sandy beaches that stand out on a volcanic
seafront, with ideal spots for water sports enthusiasts
such as surfing and body-boarding in El
Agujero and El Frontón or diving in Sardina, to the
amazing landscapes of Hoya de Pineda, Saucillo,
Caideros, Fagajesto and Juncalillo, in Los Altos de
Gáldar, which offer interesting hiking routes and
activities linked to the rural world that is still preserved
in this area. There is woodland that crowns
the municipality at an altitude of over 1,500 metres,
in Los Pinos de Gáldar, where visitors can marvel at
botanical relics that are almost 400 years old and
the scars of the island's most recent volcanic activity.
And at the heart of a historic town centre of unrivalled
artistic value there are pedestrianised areas,
museums, a powerful Outdoor Shopping Area and
places to eat and drink to delight the senses. As you
can imagine, the opportunities to enjoy Gáldar to
the full are endless.
What projects are currently being developed in
order to further expand this offer?
We are continually working work on projects to enhance
the value of the municipality's resources, not
only so that our visitors can learn about our history,
but also to protect and disseminate our values
among local residents. An example of this is the
Visitor Centre of the La Guancha Archaeological
Site, currently under construction. But we are also
planning the construction of the Visitor Centre of
Barranco Hondo de Abajo, which will be a must for
those who want to learn about the cave of Risco Caído
in its context and the history of this World Heritage
Cultural Landscape.
There are also other projects designed to improve
areas of tourist interest, such as the Bocabarranco
swimming pool and a project for the Sardina seafront
coming soon. And we are shortly going to
extend and improve the signposting in the municipality.
We also continue to work not only on building
works, but with a transversal work of the whole
Town Hall in large scale tourist promotional events
such as the Frontón King and the International Film
Festival that have put us on the map worldwide. Not
forgetting the Flower Week and our festive lighting,
which has made us a benchmark in the archipelago
as a Yuletide City. In short, we are working to keep
Gáldar beautiful and dynamic.
How would you assess the work you have done
as Councillor for Tourism in Gáldar over the last
few years?
I humbly believe that my time here has been positive.
Gáldar has made progress in recent years
through sustainable tourism development. We began
the last term of office with the inauguration
of the Hotel Agáldar, which was a work in progress
from the previous term of office, and a few months
later the Covid-19 pandemic struck, with all that it
entailed, with tourism reduced to zero. We reinvented
ourselves and the Camino de Santiago, or Saint
James Way, of Gran Canaria gave us national and
international exposure with the arrival of the Jacobean
21-22. Thousands of local, national and international
visitors came and continue to come to Gáldar
along this route. Today it is a tourist product that
has official guides, a mobile app, signposting by the
Historical Heritage Service of the Cabildo de Gran
Canaria from Maspalomas to Gáldar, and the footpaths
themselves have been improved. We secured
investments totalling more than 2 million euros for
various works such as the refurbishment of the Casas
Consistoriales, which houses our Tourist Office
and the tri-centennial dragon tree and has become
a new "museum" in the city. We also oversaw the
rehabilitation of more than 20 kilometres of footpaths,
the construction of the Caideros hostel and
the forthcoming extension of the Avenida de Sardina
and the upgrade of the Avenida de El Agujero. It
is not easy for a municipality considered by law as
"non-tourist" to apply for funding in this sector, but
we have been active and have managed to carry
out important projects by means of external funding.
We hope that the sensitivity of the institutions
will allow us to continue to apply for resources. At
the Town Council we will not sit back and do nothing:
we have ideas and projects and we will fight to
carry them out.