The volume of tourist reservations for the Canary Islands registered until September 25 for the winter was 24% lower than that registered on the same date in 2019, before the pandemic, as reported this Friday in parliamentary commission by the Minister of Tourism, Yaiza Castilla.
According to the news portal of the tourism sector Hosteltur, the Minister has clarified that the trend is that more and more reservations are made at the last minute.
The Minister has acknowledged, in response to the PP deputy Carlos Ester, that the uncertainty in the face of economic threats and the war situation in Ukraine conditions the calculations for the winter tourist campaign. But the positive fact is that an "enviable" connectivity is maintained, with 9.5 million air seats scheduled, 2.2 million more than in 2019, an increase of 31 percent.
The Minister has indicated that promotions of the Canary Islands as a climatic and economic refuge for European visitors, who face high energy bills this winter, will be maintained.
Debate on an ecotax
For his part, the PP deputy Carlos Ester has criticized the Government of the Canary Islands for conveying "negative" messages about tourism at a complicated time, such as the debate on the possibility of introducing an ecotax.
Ester has rejected the possibility of imposing a tax on fuel in air transport, has demanded a reduction in airport taxes and has defended a cut in the IGIC from 7% to 5%, as measures to help the tourism sector.
