Fifteen of the 20 accommodation establishments in Lanzarote that were planning to reopen during the month of August have decided to back down and postpone their opening, as a result of the quarantine imposed by the United Kingdom on passengers from Spain.
"Of the 20 establishments that, as of July 31, were planning to open in August, only five have remained for the moment, with the rest postponing their opening to September, October or without a planned date," revealed the president of the Island Association of Hotel and Apartment Business Owners of Lanzarote (Asolan), Susana Pérez, who confirmed that the decision of the British Government has also caused workers from establishments that had reopened to return to an ERTE.
In fact, the tourism business association fears that some of the accommodations that opened in July will close again. "There is one in Playa Blanca, which opened three weeks ago or so, that is considering closing," said the vice president of Asolan, Francisco Martínez.
An occupancy that "did not exceed 20%" in July
As explained by the president of the Lanzarote Tourism Federation, Susana Pérez, at the end of July there were already 70 establishments in operation, of which only about fifteen are large hotels. This represents around 40% of the total tourist accommodation on the island, since, although Asolan has 140 members, it estimates that there are around 180 establishments in Lanzarote. However, its occupancy during the past month is estimated to have "not exceeded 20%".
"They started with 20 or 30 percent occupancy, with a forecast of reaching 40 or 50 at the end of July, but occupancy dropped drastically," said Susana Pérez, noting that "the situation is changing every day" and that, therefore, they do not even have a forecast for the coming months.
"There seems to be news that it could be resolved"
What is clear to the president of the hotel association is that if the British Government does not reverse its decision, there will be "a sharp fall" and that the summer will be "absolutely lost." The United Kingdom market accounts for 50% of the tourists who come to the island.
However, Pérez has pointed out that "there seems to be news that it could be resolved." "I don't know if it will be through corridors, if they will eliminate the quarantine for the Balearic and Canary Islands, if tests will be done or in what way," said the president of Asolan, who hopes that this will be the case. "Let's see if the British Government reverses its decision," also hopes the vice president of the tourism business association, Francisco Martínez.
