SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Nov. 26 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Hotel and Extra-Hotel Association of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro (Ashotel) has requested the urgent implementation of a specific recovery plan for the tourism sector of La Palma once the volcano eruption ends, of which Today is almost seventy days since it began.
At the IX Meeting with Ashotel Media, the president of the tourist association, Jorge Marichal, stated that the effects of the eruption have manifested notably last October, with an average occupancy drop of 25 percentage points to 31% , compared to the 56% average for the month of September. Likewise, the average stay of tourists in October fell from 5.13 days in September to 2.99 days in October.
Jorge Marichal indicated that this responds to the disappearance of the tour operation since current visitors are mainly weekend tourists, attracted by the eruption. This circumstance, he said, has also made a dent in hotel revenues, which have fallen from 2.65 million in September to 1.55 million in October, according to data from the Istac Tourist Accommodation Survey.
“La Palma now needs containment measures so that companies can hibernate for as long as necessary, and once the volcano is extinguished it is vital to have a recovery plan ready,” said Marichal, who pointed out that in La Palma ” There has been a planning disaster for years and this problem has been an obstacle for many entrepreneurs, who want to invest and cannot. ” For this reason, he affirmed that it is necessary to take advantage, once the emergency passes, “to re-qualify the tourist offer, once the volcano is extinguished.”
