The island's tourism business association predicts even more hotel closures in the coming days, even though less than 40% are currently open. "The worst thing is that they will close without a reopening date," said Radio Lanzarote president of Asolan and the Lanzarote Tourism Federation, Susana Pérez.
According to Pérez, 50% of the island's accommodation establishments opened in the summer, but this figure had already fallen to 40% at the beginning of December with some 80 hotels and tourist apartment complexes. However, since then a dozen establishments have closed their doors and this figure is expected to continue to rise between now and the end of January. "We may be left with 20% of establishments open, I don't know, we'll have to see at the end of the month," she said.
Only in Costa Teguise, as revealed on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero by the Tourism Councillor of Teguise, Antonio Callero, three accommodation establishments were planning to close in these days, specifically the Teguise Playa and Albatros hotels. "It is true that Costa Teguise, within the volume of the island, was the one with the most hotels open in percentage terms, but some have started to close," said Callero, who indicated that the establishments have been maintained with an occupancy rate of 10% and that some "could no longer cope".
"The situation is bad both in Europe, in the main issuing markets, and in Lanzarote. In view of this, large hotels have been closing and others will do so in the coming days. We were waiting for December, Christmas, with hope, but the small Christmas campaign was reduced, among other things, by the unfortunate news of this new strain that was spreading throughout the United Kingdom and which consequently led to the closure of Spain to travelers. Christmas started very badly and has ended worse, so it is the culmination of a dramatic year," said the president of Asolan.
According to Susana Pérez, the accumulated balance until November had already left "a loss of 90% in occupancy and income" and, although she does not yet have all the December data, she estimates that last year will close with that figure. "With an unprecedented loss of 90% in occupancy, income and employment, in everything," she said.
"It is an uncertain situation, with no light in the short term"
Now, the president of Asolan indicates that "the concern is not so much the closure, which it is, but that it is closing without a reopening date." And the president of Asolan has highlighted the "uncertain situation" that hoteliers are experiencing, "with no light in the short term."
"To try to encourage, let's see Easter, which is a month and a half away," said Pérez, who hopes that by then the Covid "can drop to a European level" and that "Lanzarote can also improve in a few weeks." However, she fears that the "same mistake" will be made again, which she believes has been made at Christmas. And the president of Asolan attributes the increase in infections in Lanzarote to the Christmas "social gatherings."
"We hope that it will not be repeated in the next holidays such as Easter or summer or holiday periods, because the pandemic will continue to be with us," said Susana Pérez, who says she "misses a much more permanent control" so that health measures are complied with.
She also hopes that the vaccination against Covid "will pick up a better pace than we are having." "I think that the forecasts that were expected to vaccinate 50% of the population before the summer and 70% after the summer, will not be unfortunately, but we do demand that this means redoubling efforts and continue to monitor the measures," insisted the president of Asolan, who also hopes that they will give aid to the tourism sector "as soon as possible."
