Agustín Santana is reappointed as director of the Institute for Social Research and Tourism at the ULL.

The Professor of Social Anthropology Agustín Santana Talavera has renewed his mandate as director of the Institute for Social Research and Tourism (ISTUR) of the University of La Laguna and took office today, Wednesday, July 2nd, at the Rectorate. He was accompanied by his team in the management of this center, Leopoldo Cabrera Rodríguez as deputy director and Olga González Morales as secretary.

Rector Francisco García expressed his gratitude for the commitment of the three members of the center's management team, who, despite being renowned researchers, have assumed positions that entail administrative work that is not usually sufficiently recognized, either financially or academically. He also emphasized the institute's importance, as it focuses part of its research on tourism, a key sector of the regional economy that needs to be reoriented to make it more sustainable, and for which the contribution of academic experts can be crucial.

For his part, the Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer, Antonio Aparicio, pointed out that it is essential to promote the activity of university institutes because "they are core research entities" in the institution, and he recalled the importance of that generated knowledge reaching society directly through transfer activities.

On this last point, the institute's director noted that what truly characterizes ISTUR's work is precisely that almost all of its research projects involve very direct relationships with social actors, whether from the tourism sector, the primary sector, or other fields. He explained that, although the institute has a significant line of research on the tourism model and its vulnerabilities, there are also projects related to food economics, the inclusion of fish in school menus in the Canary Islands, and the problem of flooding caused by rising tides, among other issues, which demonstrates the institute's versatility.

Santana Talavera explained that, in addition to strengthening existing research lines, her concern is the incorporation of young researchers into this institution, which currently has 24 members. Therefore, several predoctoral researchers are already working at the center while completing their dissertations, although to become a full member of the institute, it is necessary to meet requirements such as holding a doctoral degree, having at least one six-year research period, and being involved in a research project or contract.

Another objective set by its director is to continue promoting the institute's scientific publications, “Steps. Magazine of Tourism and Cultural Heritage”", published since 2003 and specializing in the analysis of the various processes that take place within the tourism system, with particular interest in the tourist uses of culture, nature and territory, people, towns and their spaces, and integral heritage. It is one of the most prestigious periodicals published by the University of La Laguna, with a prominent presence in the main indexes and bearing the quality seal awarded by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT).".