The president of the Asociación Canarias 1500 km de Costa, Sebastián Quintana, asked for the collaboration of the tourism sector, to face a reality: “Seven out of ten People who died from drowning in the Canary Islands were tourists. »
As you pointed out, the Canary Islands are “safe” and … It has the “best means, services and institutions” to face the challenge of aquatic accidents, but the archipelago needs cross-cutting political and sectoral actions. sightseeing.
Quintana, who appeared before the Parliament of the Canary Islands at the request of the Parliamentary Group of the Canary Islands Coalition, considered that although the Government of the Canary Islands has activated in recent years prevention focused on the issue, “unfortunately” the critical situation persists, illustrated by the accident last Sunday in Santiago del Teide, on the island of Tenerife, where four people died, while the search for a missing person persists, due to a sea shock in a natural pool in full pre-alert to coastal phenomena.
“Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in the Canary Islands, surpassing deaths from road accidents. “It’s a reality that must be reversed,” defended Quintana, who clarified that “the best float” is “the information», for which he defended, among other things, the collaboration of the tourism sector, hotel and non-hotel establishments, to improve communication of pre-alerts or alerts of coastal phenomena to their customers, the tourists.
“Although currently there are already 66 deaths in the Canaries for this reason, there are 5 people who, on average, die every month from drowning in the archipelago,” said Quintana, who, supported by the figures collected, clarified that, as a “record” of tourist arrivals has been observed in the archipelago, “an increase in accidents” is observed.
Thus, between 2016 and 2024, a total of 353 people of foreign nationality suffered some type of aquatic accident in the archipelago, being, in 80% of cases, impudence. In total, in this group, according to data from the Association, up to 217 people lost their lives, mainly on the beaches and in the coastal areas of the islands, as well as in tourist establishments.
It is for this reason that the president of the Association “1,500 km of Canarian coast” defended the improvement of communication in the tourism sector, whenever a pre-alert or alert situation is activated. He illustrated the improvement with the implementation, in the chain of establishments, of recommendations which inform tourists of the situation and advise against swimming. dangerous areas. It has extended this initiative to non-hotel establishments, and the owners and managers themselves are responsible for transmitting the same message to their customers.
Quintana also warned of another major concern when it comes to water accidents: minors drowning. Thus, he insisted on the figures, with 188 minors who suffered a water accident between 2016 and 2024, with 13 deaths since 2018.
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