Mayor Afonso Highlights Puerto de la Cruz Transformation

Leopoldo Afonso (PP), the mayor of Puerto de la Cruz, has been in office for 16 months. He recently spoke with DIARIO DE AVISOS to discuss his administration's key achievements and the progress of projects he believes are vital for the town's ongoing transformation and future.

Puerto de la Cruz has clearly changed a lot recently. What do you see as your administration's biggest achievements?

Yes, Puerto de la Cruz really needed to change. In some ways, the town was stuck in the past, not ready for the 21st century. So, we had to push for progress. Over the last 16 months, we've set the groundwork for a complete transformation. This includes improving quality across the board, hosting big events and sports competitions to attract high-end tourism, and boosting our neighborhoods, public services, job creation, and economy. Our town is reinventing itself through consistent, everyday efforts. Our goal isn't just to bring in more tourists, but to make Puerto de la Cruz a modern place with more prosperity and a better quality of life for everyone who lives here.

When you took office, many essential services were almost at a standstill. How have you dealt with this?

It was very difficult. We found a challenging situation: contracts for vital services like waste collection, gardening, and water management had all expired. Our priority has been to put all these contracts out to tender to get these crucial services back on track. On top of that, the City Council inherited a 4.1 million euro debt from the previous administration. So far, we've paid 2.4 million euros to small and medium-sized businesses and self-employed people, and we're still paying over a million euros to cultural, tourism, commercial, and sports organizations.

Reopening Playa Jardín was a major moment. What impact has it had on the city?

Reopening the beach has been one of our biggest successes in these 16 months. The city really needed it. Getting it ready for the public again wasn't easy. With help from the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo de Tenerife, we made the necessary upgrades and managed to open it before summer 2025. But we're not stopping there: we'll soon be reforming the outfall pipe and expanding the wastewater treatment plant. All these steps are crucial to keep the beach open and ensure it meets the high-quality standards our residents expect.

Puerto de la Cruz is undergoing big economic, tourism, and cultural changes. How do you balance this innovation with keeping the town's unique identity?

Yes, I think that's what makes Puerto de la Cruz special: we're a small town, less than nine square kilometers, but we've made significant progress in tourism without losing our local character. Thanks to our community, we maintain a vital balance between tourism and local life, which makes us a model for the Canary Islands and Spain. Our town has started a much-needed growth spurt, something all businesses, social groups, and residents have been asking for. Tenerife needed to bring our tourist city back as a different, yet complementary, option to the southern resorts – a destination rich in culture, food, scenery, and liveability. We've launched initiatives like reopening the beach and are working to fix our entire sanitation system. We're also seeing hotels being renovated, with major work at iconic places like the Botánico and the Silken Saaj Maar in San Telmo, and the historic Gran Hotel Taoro reopening. All this is happening with close cooperation from our local businesses, our community, and the support of institutions like the Cabildo de Tenerife and the Government of the Canary Islands. They've shown great interest and support for Puerto de la Cruz because they know we need them, and they also know that Tenerife needs a strong, competitive Puerto de la Cruz.

Is the City Council getting support from other government bodies for these changes?

Yes, absolutely. From the start of this term, we've focused on working with others to secure outside funding for projects. For instance, we recently received nearly two million euros from the Ministry of Tourism of the Canary Islands Government. This money will help fund important improvements at places like Taoro Park, Lago Martiánez, and Martiánez Beach. This grant is a direct result of the hard work by both public and private sectors, all aimed at continuing our transformation to improve the quality of life and create opportunities for everyone in Puerto de la Cruz.

Puerto de la Cruz is now considered one of the safest places for tourists in the Canary Islands. How did you achieve this?

We've boosted the resources and efforts of our Local Police, and I want to thank them for their dedication every day. We also have ongoing cooperation with the State Security Forces. This focus on more resources and better coordination has led to a steady drop in the crime rate. According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Interior, it has fallen by 14.89%, making Puerto de la Cruz one of the safest tourist towns in the Canary Islands.