The new British ambassador to Spain, Sir Alex Ellis, has visited the Canary Islands for the first time. His agenda includes a meeting with the president of the Gran Canaria Island Council, Antonio Morales, with whom he discussed the relationship between the British representation and the Island Council on matters of common interest, such as tourism, the development of offshore wind energy, and export agriculture, among others.

Antonio Morales expressed his gratitude for the visit, “because relations are very close,” recounting that hours earlier, “we were celebrating the 140th anniversary of the establishment of tomato cultivation for export to the United Kingdom in the south of Gran Canaria, and that this consolidated the enormous ties of collaboration that remain today despite the difficulties with the tomato and cucumber industries. And we also discussed the historical ties related, for example, to the creation of the first golf club in Spain after the arrival of the English, or the arrival of football. Today, British tourism occupies the top spot in Gran Canaria; this wasn’t the case for many years. And there’s also a desire to strengthen ties around developing new investments that generate productive economies. We discussed geothermal energy, where an English company is working with us these days to identify the main locations where we could harness this energy. But we also discussed offshore wind power, the possibility of adding it to the effort made with the Chira waterfall to achieve clean energy storage.” The intention is for us to continue strengthening historical ties.”

Regarding the situation of agricultural exports, the president of the Gran Canaria Island Council acknowledges that “the numbers have dropped considerably because it’s very difficult to compete with Morocco and the southern peninsula. The same thing happened with artisanal fishing, but those relations with the United Kingdom remain alive, as do the exports of tomatoes and Canary Island cucumbers. And we’re talking about taking advantage of those channels that have been created throughout history to also introduce other types of production, such as tropical fruits, which are perfectly compatible with tomatoes and cucumbers, but we can also talk about papayas, blueberries, and others.”

Regarding concerns about islanders’ potential rejection of tourism, Morales responded that “not all islands share this sentiment. The reality of Gran Canaria is quite different from that of other territories. Here in Gran Canaria, no major projects have been carried out in the last two or three decades. There is no significant rejection of tourism. There are no water problems here, no major infrastructure that mortgages the territory, so we don’t have the feeling of rejection of people that might exist in other territories. Even so, we certainly have to be aware that we need to adapt tourism infrastructure and the arrival of people from other places to enjoy our climate, our beaches, and also the diversity the island offers. That’s why in Gran Canaria, we support an eco-tax to help create these services.”

British Ambassador Alex Ellis noted that the visit had been very productive, “first of all because the relationship between Gran Canaria and my country, the United Kingdom, is historic. That’s why I’m pleased that last year we had so much tourist flow here to the island. We also talked about the economy and renewable energy.”

Regarding tourism, he emphasized that “the numbers show the loyalty, the consistency of British tourists who return to Gran Canaria, to the Canary Islands in general, every year. Around six million visitors last year, of which more than a million came to this island, because we love this island, don’t we?

Regarding trade and agriculture, the British diplomat noted that work is underway with the European Union “to negotiate a new phytosanitary agreement that will facilitate the export of agricultural and food products to Spain and the Canary Islands. We look forward to establishing a new trade relationship.”

“The meeting was very positive, and we made further progress on other topics such as renewables, for example, where my country is one of the world’s leading countries in the development of offshore wind power. We talked a bit about that because I know this island has a lot of ambition in this area. And experts from all over Spain can come to the United Kingdom and see what we’re doing, because we already have a lot of offshore wind power, including Spanish investment in this renewable energy production, given everything that’s happening in the world, as the climate is changing, and we have to act on that.”