Asodiscan Demands Impartial Review of Santa Cruz Tourist Zone Designation

The Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council is facing questions about its administrative transparency following a formal request from the Canary Islands Association of Medium and Large Distribution Companies (Asodiscan). The association is calling for the city’s legal department—rather than the Development Society—to oversee any potential changes to the capital’s Large Tourist Influx Zone (ZGAT) designation.

The controversy centers on the Development Society’s historical role in establishing this commercial policy. Asodiscan argues that the Society cannot provide an impartial review because it helped create the ZGAT over a decade ago. The association points to a 2011 mayoral decree showing that the Development Society was a key member of the group that promoted the original declaration and that its own staff validated the reports used to secure regional government approval.

From the perspective of the business group, this past involvement creates a conflict of interest. They contend that the Development Society lacks the necessary neutrality to evaluate whether the current boundaries should be revised. Asodiscan maintains that this is not about challenging a specific outcome, but about ensuring procedural fairness. They argue that because an Economic Interest Group is designed to benefit its members, having one of its founders evaluate the policy violates the principles of objectivity required in public administration.

Consequently, the association has formally asked Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez to transfer this responsibility to the City Council’s legal services or another department with no prior connection to the ZGAT. The situation highlights the challenges of oversight when public-private partnerships are tasked with reviewing their own past initiatives, sparking a broader debate about the need to separate those who promote economic policies from those who regulate them.