The four tourism business organizations of the Canary Islands will jointly send a letter to the Minister of Development, Ana Pastor, expressing their rejection of the possible measures proposed by this Ministry to reduce the aid currently received by residents of the Canary and Balearic Archipelagos, Ceuta and Melilla, to travel to the Peninsula or between the Islands.
The tourism business associations of the Canary Islands AEHTF, Ashotel, Asolan and FEHT will convey to the minister what they consider a great offense, by withdrawing or reducing these aids to air transport with the Islands when the same Ministry proposes special rates with discounts of up to 70 percent to travel on the AVE, which only operates in the Peninsula, where, in addition, its users can choose other alternative transport. In the Canary Islands, to get to the Peninsula, you have to go by plane, even swimming it is impossible to get there.
If the reduction of the subsidy to air transport is carried out together with the increase in air taxes carried out last year, the business associations warn, it will negatively affect the Canary Islands as a tourist destination because it will entail a reduction in demand with the consequent adjustment in frequencies and routes by the airlines, as has already been seen in the passenger and tourist data of 2012 from the Peninsula. In addition, the connections of the Canary Islands - Peninsula bring many tourists, not only Spanish, but also European who use Madrid or Barcelona as a hub to connect with the Canary Islands, so a reduction in air seats would have - by increasing the price of air seats - great negative consequences for the sector and the global economy of the Islands.
Residents and tourists travel on airplanes
All hoteliers, professionals in the sector - for work reasons - meetings, meetings with tour operators, attendance at fairs, promotional trips and prospecting of emerging areas... - and in general all businessmen and professionals of the islands from all economic, social, cultural or sports sectors, must travel regularly to the Peninsula. In addition, the plane is the system of habitual use for all residents, students, undergoing surgery or receiving other health care. Those who live in the Islands have to use the plane and would see their mobility possibilities greatly diminished if that drastic reduction of bonuses for residents were undertaken, further burdening the double insularity that exists in several of the Islands of the Archipelago.
The business associations recall that, even today, airlines have very unequal air fares depending on the destination within the same Archipelago and reducing these aids according to the news known, would harm and diminish the residence of people in these Islands. The Canary Islands has one of the highest unemployment rates in Spain, its airports, which are managed by Fomento, have already seen an increase in airport taxes, and now a measure of this nature could affect the economic and social development and expansion of the Archipelago.
