Puerto de la Cruz has honoured Wolfgang Kiessling, founder and president of the Loro Parque Group, for his contribution to the development of tourism and conservation in the Canary Islands.
The award was presented during the closing ceremony of the city’s III Tourism Week, held at the Costa Martiánez Tourist Complex to mark World Tourism Day.
Kiessling was unable to attend the ceremony as he was in Washington, where he was accompanying Global Humane at events connected with the international award that carries his name.
His son, Christoph Kiessling, vice-president of the Loro Parque Group, accepted the award on his behalf.
“Puerto de la Cruz is his home”
Christoph Kiessling thanked the town for the recognition and said his father wanted to share the award with the company’s current and former employees, as well as the people of Puerto de la Cruz.
He pointed out that Puerto de la Cruz has been Wolfgang Kiessling’s home for more than half a century, with Loro Parque founded in the city in 1972 and the group’s headquarters still based there.
“We are a Canary Islands company, born in this municipality,” Christoph said, stressing that the company did not arrive from somewhere else as an international business.
He also said the group’s growth should create value for Puerto de la Cruz rather than become a burden for local residents.
Examples included the group’s own desalinated water production, renewable energy generation and the use of locally sourced products in its restaurants and organic farms.
From a small parrot park to conservation
Loro Parque opened in 1972 as a small parrot garden in northern Tenerife.
Since then, it has developed into an international conservation organisation, with Loro Parque Fundación established in 1994.
According to the figures presented at the event, the foundation has supported more than 300 conservation projects worldwide, contributing more than 30 million dollars and helping save 18 species from extinction.
The wider group later expanded with the Hotel Botánico in 1995, Siam Park in 2008 and Poema del Mar in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 2017.
The group’s educational work also continues to involve schools across the Canary Islands. Christoph said more than 42,000 schoolchildren took part in educational activities during the most recent academic year.
More than a tourism business
Christoph said his father’s view has always been that tourism should leave a positive impact on the people who live in a destination, rather than simply benefiting those who visit.
He also confirmed that Loro Parque intends to continue working with Puerto de la Cruz on cultural, social and environmental initiatives, while continuing to reinvest in the city.
The municipality also recognised several other people and organisations during the ceremony, including María Rosa Hernández Hernández, director of IES María Pérez Trujillo; Antonia Schweigel, director of Viajes Canarias Europa in the province; the Puerto de la Cruz Lifeguard Group; hotel and tourism figure Ramón Michán Doña; and journalist, traveller and creator of El Turista, César Sar.
For a city that has been welcoming tourists for generations, recognising the people who have helped shape that story seems fairly appropriate.