Icod de los Vinos is committed to sustainable tourism and a city brand to attract tourists.
Icod de los Vinos in the Canary Islands, thanks to the Drago Park, has become a popular tourist destination, actively developing its tourism infrastructure and creating its own brand.
If the latest report on tourism development in the Canary Islands is to be believed, everything is going well. According to the study, Icod de los Vinos is one of the most popular places on the islands, visited by over 800,000 people. The main reason is our symbol, the Drago Park.
We have developed a Strategic Tourism Development Plan, and we are implementing various projects based on it. One of the most important is the creation of a tourist brand. The city needs its own recognizable symbol to effectively communicate with the world and promote itself as a tourist destination. Without a brand, no one will want to buy our "tourism product." When I came to power and became the Councillor for Tourism and Icodtesa, I realized that we needed a clear strategy first and foremost. Surprisingly, the city did not have a tourism development plan. Therefore, together with the mayor, we decided to develop such a plan.
Icodtesa is a company that deals with many things, including the promotion of tourism and culture in the city. We are trying to fill various places with content, such as the historic Casa de los Cáceres building, where the tourist information center is located. Previously, there was almost nothing there, but in the last six months, we have organized two exhibitions: one about the traditions of Icod de los Vinos and one about the history of the city. This helps tourists to better understand the place they have come to. Regarding tourism promotion, most of our visitors come from other regions of Spain (about 52%). Therefore, we place advertisements where potential tourists will see them: in magazines on board Binter planes, on screens at Tenerife-North Airport, on road signs, and on Fred Olsen and Naviera Armas ferries that run between Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
We immediately realized that we needed to use our main symbol, the Drago and its park, in advertising. And it is paying off, as the number of visitors is growing. In 2024, we saw an increase of 21%, and in 2025, 19%. This means we are on the right track. But for this, the city authorities have invested significant funds in improving the park, both in the arrangement of the territory and in the expansion of the tourist offer. We recently opened a new ethnographic exhibition, "Ancient Professions of Icod de los Vinos," which complements the park. And by the end of the year, we plan to open another one – about the life of the aborigines. Unlike the previous government, we have increased funding so that experts can use new tools for research and analysis.
We have created a website that collects information about the main attractions of the city, including the Drago Park. There is also a place for private initiatives related to tourism and trade. These initiatives are important for the local economy and job creation. The platform allows them to be evaluated together with the city's tourist resources.
The Strategic Tourism Development Plan is important because it defines a strategy based on environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Various activities are being developed in the city in this direction, combining efforts with important initiatives such as FICMEC (Canary Islands International Environmental Film Festival). This festival chose the Drago Park as its venue for the first time and will repeat there in 2026, making Icod de los Vinos a model of sustainable tourism.