The Lanzarote Tourism Federation has received as "a cold shower" the agreement reached between the central government and the communities of the Canary and Balearic Islands on tourist corridors, as it considers it "insufficient" that only international tourists are tested. "Once again, it does not contemplate the proposal of the Ministry of Tourism of the Government of the Canary Islands to also include nationals when they come from risk areas, according to the same criteria," lament the businessmen of the sector.
For the Island Tourism Federation it is "essential" to establish control mechanisms for all travelers arriving from risk areas, including from the State itself, applying the principle of "non-discrimination established by EU recommendations and, above all, because this is requested by issuing countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland or Scandinavian countries to whom we must show that we are a safe destination", they point out from the employers.
Lanzarote businessmen demand the obligation for all travelers from risk areas to present a negative Covid-19 test in order to disembark at an airport on the islands and reproach the attitude of the central government. "They are turning their backs on the Canary Islands, vetoing the proposal agreed upon by the employers and the Ministry of Tourism of the Canary Islands Government. We regret that Madrid is not collaborating by reinforcing and supporting the request that would allow us to guarantee the competitiveness of our destination and establish ourselves as a safe destination," they say.
"After the effort made by the citizens of Lanzarote, which has reached the green light, significantly reducing the incidence of coronavirus outbreaks on the island", the employers consider "unfair the lack of protection to which we would be exposed". "It is unacceptable that, given that the islands as a whole have a positive trend, and especially the effort that has been made in Lanzarote by citizens, companies, as well as health professionals and tracking teams, managing to reduce peaks that placed us above 500 active cases, that we are now left unprotected. The entry requirements must be met for all those who arrive," they demand.
From the employers they consider that the reactivation of tourism, in addition to "continuing to comply and not lowering our guard", involves establishing control measures for all travelers arriving from risk areas, to guarantee "permanent security" as a tourist destination" and generate confidence in tourists/issuing markets, and maintain a stable epidemiological/health situation below the indices established as a green zone and not be subject to or dependent on "outbreaks. "Opening and closing an entire tourist destination, the cost that this entails for tourism companies is very expensive, this is not like opening and closing a water tap", they point out from the employers.