The Surge of Sustainable Tourism: Fuerteventura’s Green Future
Embracing eco-friendly practices positions Fuerteventura as a leader in sustainable travel.
Fuerteventura is redefining its tourism landscape, shifting gears towards sustainability. The island, known for its stunning beaches and year-round sunshine, has taken significant steps to promote eco-conscious tourism practices, thus enhancing its appeal to a growing market of environmentally aware travelers. From solar-powered hotels to organic farming initiatives, the island is showcasing how tourism can harmonize with nature, creating a winning proposition for both visitors and the local economy.
The recent push for sustainable tourism not only attracts eco-conscious visitors but also extends the lifespan of the island’s natural resources. By implementing initiatives such as waste reduction programs and wildlife conservation efforts, Fuerteventura aims to preserve its pristine environment while creating vibrant job opportunities for locals. This proactive approach not only ensures that the island’s rich biodiversity is maintained but also positions it as a hallmark of sustainability in the Canary Islands.
As more travelers prioritize their ecological footprint when choosing destinations, Fuerteventura’s commitment to sustainability places it ahead of the curve. This evolving tourism strategy is set to enhance the island’s economic resilience, tapping into the lucrative market of green travelers. As the world leans towards responsible travel, Fuerteventura stands poised to become a premier destination, marrying natural beauty with sustainable practices.
Source: Gobierno de Canarias
Rigoberto Almeida proposes a playful and creative tour of the products and traditions of Fuerteventura with hints of his native Caribbean NewsFuerteventura Editorial Staff A bold movement and, at the same time, expected in Fuerteventura and in the whole of the Canary Islands in the thriving context of the New Canarian Cuisine: the first decidedly contemporary and creative gastronomic look at the island, its products and its cuisine, from a global tasting menu. Chef Rigoberto Almeida has not hesitated, making his restaurant El Pellizco by Rigoberto Almeida in Costa Calma the first to offer, in addition to the menu, a tasting menu (with optional pairing) that allows you to explore, from avant-garde gestures, the great products of the island and its culinary traditions nuanced with Caribbean colors. Because Rigoberto was born in Havana (Cuba), to Canarian-Cuban parents, which made him experience from a young age (his grandparents, both Canarian, had a restaurant there) the traditions of the islands that marked him forever. In this way, with the traditions of Fuerteventura in his mind and in his hands, sharing his heart with his native Cuba and the Caribbean, and backed by the success of his other restaurant, El Pellizco Morro Jable (recently Repsol Recommended), he has created in his new establishment in Costa Calma a new gastronomy, a meeting between two worlds that, from what is strictly local and sustainable, projects the Majorera island with nuances from the other side of the Atlantic based on unrepeatable creativity, lots of fun, impeccable technique and haute cuisine finishes. Its brand new menu has a captivating starter of appetizers that proposes its Canarian memories, such as the black potato with boiled black mojo, the fried gofio pellet with mojo picón and fresh cheese from La Pared, the local fish chicharrón with garlic emulsion, the Majorera goat foie gras and tomato jelly or the millet biscuit with tomato butter and dried tuna crumbs; fascinating main dishes such as the liquid salad, the tuna basket, the Majorera eggplant, the Fuerteventura octopus escaldón, the Canarian turmeric and grilled Fuerteventura prawns, the local fish of the day between the sea and the land or the Majorera goat ajiaco (Colombian recipe); and desserts such as tropical and floral fruits, chocolate and goat or the ‘Canarian breakfast’. The tasting menu is served only in one of the restaurant spaces, a discreet dining room with views of the Atlantic, for 18 pax, where the large glass cellar is also located, with 70 references between Fuerteventura, the Canary Islands, France, Italy and the two Americas. The restaurant (600 m2 in total), located on the paradisiacal Costa Calma of Fuerteventura, on Sotavento beach, a contemporary light construction, completely open to the Atlantic Ocean, whose great blue penetrates all its spaces and is, always, the horizon from the table, also presents other tasting spaces on the menu: the covered terrace, with open views of the ocean, recreating a large minimalist porch to offer all the comfort of the outdoors without climatic problems; and the al fresco viewing terrace, a large veranda right over the Atlantic, both for having drinks and enjoying the dishes. All of them designed with great separation between the tables for greater privacy. An exquisite detail: all the room staff wears original Cuban guayaberas, hand-sewn by the famous Havana dressmaker Hilda Rosa. Sustainability policies. As a restaurant dedicated to Fuerteventura and its great products from sea and land, El Pellizco by Rigoberto Almeida has locality, proximity and respect for the environment as the basis of its strict philosophy of sustainability. In the restaurant, all waste is recycled; The tableware is made by themselves with local artists, they work with solar energy, the kitchen machinery is low consumption and is connected to photovoltaic energy; 90% of the raw materials in the menu are from local producers; 0 plastics policy; cloth napkins, recycling of oils… El Pellizco by Rigoberto Almeida leads the contemporary and creative cuisine of Fuerteventura, part of the New Canarian Cuisine, from the products and traditions of Fuerteventura launched to the creative avant-garde with a fresh and playful look at the Caribbean. Born in Cuba to a Canarian family. As a child, he ran around his grandparents’ restaurant in Havana (El Pellizco) and became fascinated by the cuisine. He later graduated in Food Chemistry (Havana), but with cooking always on his mind, he worked at La Bodeguita del Medio (Havana) before meeting Yahimara Ferrand, born in Cuba but already living in Fuerteventura working in the rooms of different hotels. Rigoberto went with her to the Majorera island. He started from the bottom in the kitchens of San Borondón, where he ended up as head chef. Already launched, he took a cooking course at Cordon Bleu. And that was when El Pellizco (2018) opened, with Yahimara as head of the room and director in Morro Jable. The next thing was to graduate from the Basque Culinary Institute. After the rapid success of the Morro Jable restaurant, Lo Nuestro Jandía opened. In 2023, determined to take a great leap forward, he opened his El Pellizco by Rigoberto Almeida in Costa Calma, together with Yahimara, director and graduated sommelier, a large contemporary restaurant facing the sea with three different spaces in which he has inaugurated the first tasting menu in Fuerteventura. Rigoberto was Gold Medalist ‘La tapa del bonito’, ‘Platinum Tapa’ in Fuerteventura, Finalist (only Canarian) in the Valladolid National Tapas Competition (2023). In 2025 he was declared Best New Chef of the Canary Islands by the Que Bueno 2025 Guide. His other restaurant, El Pellizco, in Morro Jable, is Repsol Recommended.
Originally reported by www.noticiasfuerteventura.com, rewritten by the Fuerteventura Times AI Editorial Desk.
