The forecasts of the enterprise sector and the Tourism Division of the Authorities of the Canary Islands, which point out that the islands may have a great winter, are gaining consistency as November 1, the official begin date of the season, approaches, reviews Silvia Fernandez in Spanish language day by day, Canarias7 this Tuesday.
Over the past week, reservations have grown greater than 12% and it’s anticipated that within the coming days the tourism rebound can be greater, consistent with the change in pattern in vacationer habits since covid, during which the acquisition of final minute reservations are 23% beneath 2019 however the hole within the figures is being diminished daily.
Air connectivity figures have additionally improved. Just a few weeks in the past, the airways had 9.4 million seats scheduled for the winter, 30.7% greater than in 2019. The most recent information raises the seats by almost 100,000, to virtually 9.5 million.
“Good winter” but it surely received’t be like 2019
The winter can be “good”, stated the president of the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs of Las Palmas (FEHT), José María Mañaricua, however – he warns – the figures for 2019 won’t be matched this yr.
Inflation, rates of interest and the fuel disaster are going to weigh on the choice of many Europeans to journey and that is going to forestall the arrival of vacationers from reaching pre-covid ranges, as has occurred up to now this yr: Till August 7% much less tourism has arrived within the Canary Islands when in comparison with 2019, which interprets into the lack of a million vacationers (overseas tourism fell by 9.4% and nationwide/home tourism by 4.3%). Gran Canaria is the island that has seen the best lower, after La Palma, with 10.5% fewer guests.
“Winter goes to be good within the Canaries but it surely received’t be distinctive. We aren’t going to succeed in the figures for 2019,” warned Mañaricua, who factors out that anticipated occupation for November can be 90%. “We’re the one winter vacation spot in Europe. Whoever needs to go on trip can go to Egypt, the Caribbean and the Canary Islands. That’s our benefit and it’ll go effectively for us, however not as a lot as in 2019,” insisted Mañaricua.
Tourism sector, optimistic however cautious
An enchancment in tourism is being seen already on this second fortnight of October, as soon as the college holidays have begun within the varied European nations, with occupation of 80%, anticipated folowing a “weak” first fortnight of the month.
“It’s the identical as all the time,” says Mañaricua, who’s satisfied that the tourism sector won’t get better to 2019 ranges “till 2024.”
The president of the Tourism Fee from the Gran Canaria Chamber of Commerce, who can be president of Ifa Accommodations and director of the Lopesan group, Santiago de Armas, factors out that “though the forecasts are good for the approaching months”, the excessive uncertainty has meant that “every little thing is up within the air.”
“The champagne impact of this summer time, and following COVID, is disappearing. The whole lot appears to be like good however we have now to be cautious”, he stated.
The final director of Cordial Canarias Accommodations & Resorts, Nicolás Villalobos, expressed himself equally. “The scenario is best, though there are nonetheless setbacks and scares,” he indicated. “We wish to be optimistic and we want it, however the uncertainty could be very excessive,” stated Villalobos, who famous that there are two vital markets for the islands and particularly Gran Canaria, such because the Nordics and the Germans, that are recovering extra slowly.
Resort costs rise 8% but it surely doesn’t cowl the rise in prices
The president of the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs of Las Palmas (FEHT), José María Mañaricua, acknowledges that the value of lodges has risen by 8% on common. In line with him, costs could have risen in contracts with tour operators – that are closed a yr earlier – by between 3% and 4%, whereas direct gross sales have develop into extra round 12% costlier. On common, the rise is 8%.
The rise, nonetheless, as Mañaricua factors out, doesn’t compensate for the big improve in electrical energy payments -on common it has been 70% though with peaks which have reached 200%- and fuel, with a rise of 25% in comparison with 2019. To this should be added the rise in costs of all buffet merchandise, in some instances costs have doubled.
“A part of this rise is assumed by businessmen as a result of they can not increase costs by 20%,” says Mañaricua.
The president of the Tourism Fee and director of the Lopesan group, Santiago de Armas, stated that the profitability of institutions goes down as a result of costs don’t develop on the identical price as prices.
The final director of Be Cordial Accommodations & Resorts, Nicolás Villalobos, added that “enterprise margins” have been affected by rising prices. “Not every little thing is pleasure,” he factors out.
The most recent information from the Nationwide Institute of Statistics (INE), writes Andrea Saavedra in LaProvincia, point out that costs in Canarian lodges registered an 8.59% improve in August in comparison with 2021, a proportion improve that, in line with native enterprise individuals, was maintained by means of September and October. “The will increase have been between 5% and eight%, however they’re nonetheless effectively beneath the prices,” stated the president of the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs of Las Palmas (FEHT), José María Mañaricua.
In line with INE information, the rise in costs in lodging on the Islands is decrease than the nationwide common, which in August registered a 13.32% year-on-year variation. “For the reason that summer time we have now been capable of start to have an effect on the rise in prices we have now suffered for the reason that starting of the yr, due to the truth that demand started to be extra highly effective,” acknowledged Mañaricua. The typical day by day price within the Archipelago in October 2021 was €110.06, and at present, with an virtually 9% improve, the value has reached €120 per evening, €10 greater than only a yr in the past. By province, the associated fee in Las Palmas has gone from €105 to €114 per day and in Santa Cruz de Tenerife from €118 to €128.
Warning forward of rising costs for 2023
This improve, in line with the sector, is “fairly average” and solely covers “a component” of the rise in prices. “We consider that we are going to earn much less, however what we would like is to have full lodges,” acknowledged the president of the Fuerteventura vacationer affiliation (Asofuer), Antonio Hormiga, who assured that the rise in costs on the Islands is way “extra contained” than within the different elements of Spain. For the president of the FEHT, it will be obligatory to boost “the charges far more” to cowl all the prices within the lodges, however he recognises that the majority corporations are cautious as a result of this might put the rising demand within the trade in danger. “Extravagant will increase can’t be made as a result of we might have issues with employment,” says Mañaricua, who is anxious that the rise in inflation can be having an influence on households’ capacity to earn earnings.
“We’re already seeing how, as a substitute of contracting ten-day journeys, guests cut back their stays to 6 days as a result of their financial savings are decrease because of the international financial scenario,” says the businessman. The employers additionally guarantee that the 9% improve within the Canary Islands has been utilized solely to direct gross sales as a result of the 50% contracted by means of tour operators has suffered a smaller improve, of between 3% and 4%. “These are packages purchased a very long time in the past, a yr in the past even, so the value improve is way decrease,” clarified the president of the FEHT.
Regardless of the context of uncertainty and the rise in prices, the sector appears to be like to the long run with optimism as guests proceed to have an interest within the Islands. “We’re going to have a great winter, as a result of along with Egypt we’re the one vacation spot that gives solar and seaside at the moment of yr,” defined Mañaricua, who assures that even in occasions of disaster the winter months are “good” for the sector. The president of the vacationer affiliation in Fuerteventura additionally sees it this fashion. “The information tells us that excellent months await us, the place we’re even going to exceed the figures from earlier than the pandemic,” says Hormiga, who acknowledged that regardless of the optimistic predictions he won’t “sing victory till he sees the figures on the finish of yr”.
The reality is that the Archipelago was the one Spanish vacation spot that managed to exceed the degrees of worldwide air passengers in 2019 in the course of the month of August, with a complete of 1,047,912 travellers, in line with information printed by Turespaña based mostly on Aena information. This determine already represents development of 1.7% in comparison with the identical month of the yr previous to the pandemic. With these figures, the Canary Islands have positioned themselves because the fourth autonomous group for probably the most overseas passenger arrivals by air. The Islands registered 11.6% of the overall arrivals to Spain in the course of the eighth month of the yr, a interval during which the nation obtained almost 9 million worldwide vacationers by air.
The tourism sector within the Archipelago has been overcoming difficulties for thus a few years that it’s not shocking that, regardless of the most recent good figures, the steps in the direction of the long run are being taken with leaden toes . “The results of the disaster we’re experiencing haven’t but arrived, we’ll see it in 2023 when the rise in vitality and rates of interest have an actual influence on corporations and household economies,” warns Mañaricua.
