From one island to another – La Gomera's Minister of Tourism visits the North Sea island of Juist

Delegation from La Gomera visits Juist

On 11 and 12 November, Méndez Borges and Fernando Pardo Ríon from the German representation of the island of La Gomera took two days to visit Juist. They were shown around the island by Dietmar Patron, the mayor of Juist, his deputy Jens Heyken, and Thomas Vodde, the head of the ‘KlimaInsel Juist’ project show them around the island and learn about the measures Juist has implemented so far on its way to climate neutrality by 2030.

Similarities and differences between the destinations

During the visit, the representatives of the islands first discovered a whole range of similarities. Like Juist, La Gomera is heavily dependent on tourism and is not financially well off. In addition, both are home to a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site – although these are quite different: Juist has the Wadden Sea and La Gomera has the forests of Garajonay National Park. However, the future of the World Natural Heritage Site is linked to the development and implementation of sustainable tourism that protects it. For this reason, there are strong initiatives on both islands to implement sustainable and low-carbon tourism. Here, too, there are many similarities, such as the development of renewable energies and the increase in energy efficiency.

But there are also differences. Juist is a sandy island and La Gomera is of volcanic origin. Solar energy and geothermal energy can therefore play a much greater role on La Gomera than on the North Sea. Juist is a small island and the problem of mobility has been solved for years by the absence of cars and the associated use of horse-drawn carriages. On La Gomera, a mobility concept beyond fossil fuels still needs to be developed.

On Juist, there is close cooperation with a large energy provider, EWE, which is supporting the island on its path to climate neutrality. The island is currently working with EWE to develop a concept for the energy transition on Juist. Méndez Borges was also impressed by the support of guests on the path to climate neutrality. According to a study by the tourism sustainability initiative Futouris, 77.7 percent of Juist's guests said they feel responsible for implementing climate neutrality.

Initial results: plans for cooperation between the islands

The visit yielded tangible results: the first draft of a cooperation agreement was developed and ideas for a joint EU project led by Futouris in Germany and an environmental institute in the Canary Islands were born. The aim is to develop a master plan for climate neutrality for both islands, focusing on energy self-sufficiency, raising awareness among service providers and sustainable value marketing. Both islands want to support each other in this.

Further details are to be discussed at a second meeting in La Gomera in the spring.

Dietmar Patron, mayor of the island community of Juist, was delighted with the visit from La Gomera: "We know that we still have a long way to go to achieve climate neutrality. I find it all the more impressive that partners from internationally significant tourist destinations such as La Gomera are already interested in the progress of the Climate Island at such an early stage. Andreas Koch, 1st Chairman of the tourism industry initiative Futouris, is also satisfied: ‘One of the main reasons for choosing the Climate Island of Juist as a Futouris industry project last year was that we hoped for a possible transfer of knowledge to other destinations. That is exactly what is happening now.’ The Climate Island of Juist, Koch continued, is increasingly becoming a model for the sustainable development of tourist destinations.

La Gomera visits Juist: Fernando Pardo Rion, German representative of the island of La Gomera, Thomas Vodde, project manager of KlimaInsel Juist, Dietmar Patron, mayor of the North Sea island of Juist, Prof. Edgar Kreilkamp, scientific advisor to Futouris, Fernando Méndez Borges, Minister of Industry, Economy and Tourism of the islands of La Gomera, and Jens Heyken, deputy mayor of the North Sea island of Juist (from left).