Hoteliers fear losing the "social license to operate"

The president of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT), Jorge Marichal, said this Thursday that, at a time when the Spanish tourism model is being questioned, it is necessary to "take action urgently because, otherwise, both from the public sector and from the private sector, we run the risk of losing the social license to operate.”

Jorge Marichal, who has participated in the IV Turespaña Convention, which is being held in the Tenerife municipality of Arona, has made public a statement in which he has emphasized the need for greater public-private collaboration to strengthen the image of the tourism sector and its operational capacity.

The president of the Hotel and Extra-Hotel Association of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has also participated in a round table together with the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez; the president of the Tourism Council in CEOE, Juan Cierco; the Minister of Tourism and Employment in the Government of the Canary Islands, Jessica de León; and the Deputy Mayor of Economy, Finance and Tourism in the Barcelona City Council, Jordi Valls.

The president of the hoteliers has alluded to the need to have more support and resources to strengthen the image and social confidence in the tourism sector, “which is a source of constant joy for our country.”

Jorge Marichal has requested greater institutional support, highlighting that it is a sector “that only gives joy and positive news in general terms and that, however, does not have the support that we would like from the Government.”

He has mentioned the Next Generation Funds, about which he has lamented that they are not being used, and has insisted that tourism is a "successful sector, we are leaders internationally in all spheres, we do it very well and I do not understand the stubbornness on the part of public administrations not to count on this human capital, with this gray capital. And I am not talking about tourism alone, I am talking about transversal policies (housing, mobility...)”.