Tourism reliant Canary Islands face two-year ‘hard journey’ to approach pre-C0vid-19 economy levels

The Canary Islands face a two-year ‘long and hard journey’ to recover to pre-Covid-19 economy levels, according to the business community.

AND it warns this scenario will only be achieved as long as there are no major outbreaks to deter “the few tourists who are thinking of visiting the Canaries in the coming months.”

Hopes are also being pinned on finding a vaccine to “put an end to the virus in a reasonable margin of time.”

However, the sector remains confident of a health solution, claims the president of the Canary Islands Business Confederation (CCE), Agustín Manrique de Lara.

He said the industry is aware “the only asset of the Canarian economy is tourism and that without this sector, the islands will not recover,” but “they are not giving up on 2020 entirely.”

“The prospects are that arrivals of the international tourist will be minimal, so the only thing that can save the occupation in some way of the 20 per cent of hotels that will open is the local tourist.

“All hopes for the beginning of recovery are placed on the high season, starting in October,” he said, adding: “If it is done well in the summer and there are no major shoots in October we can start the activity and start to get into a rhythm.”

Manrique de Lara assured that in this way, in 2021 the sector can recover some of what has been lost and in 2022 “approach the pre-Covid levels.”

The president of the Association of Self-Employed Workers (ATA), Juan Carlos Arricivita, believes that in terms of employment, the worst will come in the latter part of the year, when many ERTEs will end up being laid off, reports Canaries7.

While president of the Federation of Hotel and Tourism Employers (Feht) of Las Palmas, José María Mañaricúa, is adamant there will be no recovery in the tourism sector until 2022.

He told the publication that when a vaccine is found, connectivity will be “very damaged” with airlines and tour operators in bankruptcy or very delicate situation.

The general secretary of the Transport Federation (FET), José Ángel Hernández, said the sector has ground to a halt with little prospect of starting up until next year.