Adeje Town Hall has been honoured at the 2025 Canary Islands Tourism Awards with the Innovation Award, presented by the Canary Islands Government for its Circular Tourism Communities project. The awards ceremony took place at the Teatro Circo de Marte in La Palma, in an event attended by the mayor of Adeje, José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga, and presided over by the vice-president of the Canary Islands Government, Manuel Domínguez, and the regional minister for Tourism and Employment, Jéssica de León.
Rodríguez Fraga noted: “We accept this award with humility and enthusiasm, as it represents recognition of the work of so many people who have helped shape a sustainable tourism destination in the social, environmental, and economic dimensions.” He added that the award “will encourage us to continue working in the right direction, with a commitment to quality, so that tourism is truly a positive factor in the well-being of the population and is guided responsibly, generating long-term prosperity while minimising environmental and social costs.”
The mayor also pointed out that this award adds to Adeje’s municipal efforts in sustainability projects linked to recycling, water treatment, the Canarias Verde programme and the Bosque Productivo, as well as collaboration with local businesses, professionals in catering and gastronomy, and tourism sector workers. “This award is shared with all of them, and with the people of Adeje who have helped consolidate a professional destination that competes on the quality of its service, not on price,” he said.
Other awardees included Bodegas El Grifo in Lanzarote, granted the Tourism Excellence Award; the State Security Forces, recognised for their Tourism Trajectory; the GF Hotels chain, with the Sustainable Employment Award; and the Hotel Taimar in Fuerteventura, given the Accessibility and Inclusivity Award.
Circular Tourism Communities
The Circular Tourism Communities (CTC) project, promoted by Ashotel and Asaga Canarias with the support of Adeje Town Hall, is a model for managing organic waste from hotels, transforming it into compost for agricultural and ornamental use. This completes an organic matter cycle and fosters sustainability. Since its launch three years ago more than 2,600 tonnes of biowaste has been recovered which has then been converted into 900 tonnes of high-quality compost used to fertilise over 80 hectares of local crops.
The project is currently active in 30 hotels in Adeje and is now expanding, with the aim of being replicated in other municipalities in Tenerife and across more islands in the archipelago, as well as exporting knowledge on circular economy practices. Each tonne of selectively collected organic waste is turned into compost that returns to the land, reducing CO2 emissions, improving soil productivity, and avoiding the use of chemical fertilisers, thereby creating a direct link between tourism and agriculture.
