The people of Tenerife travel again in Holy Week after two years of pandemic and prioritize the islands of the province as a destination: in this order, The iron, La Gomera Y The Palm. Beside Fuerteventurathe other great focus, move 60% of travelers from Tenerife in these four days of escape. The balance translates into the recovery or even the improvement of the data compared to 2019, the year before Covid-19. The other 40% is distributed mostly between the Peninsula and the countries bordering Spain.
The great exodus began yesterday at the North and South airports with 42 departure operations between one and three in the afternoon, rush hour. A similar movement is expected today on inter-island, national and international flights. The sea route of the exodus has the port of Los Cristianos as its base. It will be, just between today and tomorrow, more than 9,000 passengers and 3,257 vehicles that the two shipping companies that operate there will move to the peripheral islands.
“Talking about figures is premature before the end of the week but there is a desire to travel and it shows in the rise in movements to destinations, especially small islands.” This is confirmed by José Luis de la Rosa, manager of the Canarian Association of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators. With decades of experience in the sector, he believes that “people are more farsighted. There are practically no air seats to return to Tenerife from these islands on Sunday.
2019 numbers.
De la Rosa, with decades of experience in the sector, values: «We are practically at the numbers of 2019, although Airports and Air Navigation of Spain (AENA) has increased billing by 5% and shipping companies their frequencies compared to Week Santa from three years ago. The manager of the group points out that “if six out of ten Tenerife residents opt for the islands, the other four are divided between the peninsula and nearby countries, such as Portugal, France or Italy; to a lesser extent, the USA, the Caribbean or Latin America. The traditional trip to Asia or Northern Europe is over. The reason is in the Ukraine conflict because “it has undermined security and confidence.” These two concepts “have led to the return of the customer to travel agencies.”
The sector “is better than a year ago, but it was not complicated because we were the most affected by the crisis”, he underlines: “We are still delicate, but the small family businesses, the majority, have endured and are beginning to emerge”.
By air.
The forecast at the Canary Islands airports, from yesterday until next Monday, is 6,738 operations (3,796 national and 2,942 international). The day with the highest traffic is next Saturday with 1,384, of which 639 are national and 745 international. In Tenerife South there will be 1,210 operations (197 and 1,073) while Tenerife North will be the scene of 1,118 (1,110 and 8). La Palma will have 378 operations (346 and 32), El Hierro 96, all national, the same as the 30 of La Gomera. The comparison of the two Tenerife airports between 2019 and 2022 allows us to conclude that the recovery has arrived. In Los Rodeos there were then 1,187 operations (1,171 national and 16 international) and in Reina Sofía 1,107 (142 national and 965 international). “More or less they are on par with 2019” value AENA sources. The peak hour of the departure operation occurred yesterday, between one and three in the afternoon, with 42 flights. The 15 from Tenerife South had national (two) and international (13) destinations. In Tenerife North, 27 planes took off in that period to Madrid (10), Barcelona (2), Seville (2), Santiago de Compostela (1), El Hierro (1), Gran Canaria (1), Fuerteventura (3), La Palma (39 and Lanzarote (4). Similar is expected today.
By sea.
The data provided by the shipping companies Armas and Fred. Olsen, foresee the shipment, between yesterday and 12:30 pm today, of 3,257 vehicles bound for La Gomera, La Palma or El Hierro. That equates to more than 9,000 passengers. With regard to the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, although both shipping companies still continue to sell tickets, a movement of 9,500 vehicles and 27,000 passengers, along with nine thousand cruise passengers, is expected these days.
60% Travelers
Percentage of people from Tenerife who travel during Easter and choose the other islands. Those of the province, El Hierro, La Gomera and La Palma, in that order, and among the eastern ones, Fuerteventura.
3,257 Vehicles
Those who have left Los Cristianos for El Hierro, La Gomera and La Palma in just two days, between yesterday and today. The data demonstrates the enormous demand for these destinations.
Return operation.
Every exit operation entails a return operation. To lighten the traffic on the return from vacation on Saturday and Sunday, the Port Authority and the Arona City Council are testing an alternative exit route from the port of Los Cristianos to the TF-1 motorway with the aim of alleviating possible traffic jams of traffic, as a result of the expected high density of vehicles. The proposal consists of joining the Autopista del Sur from the Chayofita roundabout, to the left, in the area known as Llanos de Troya. The idea is to thus share the exit traffic that is traditionally carried out from Chayofita Avenue.
Arona City Council has already installed vertical signage to indicate the temporary authorization of this road as an exit from Los Cristianos, an alternative that, far from being a definitive solution, will at least make it possible to alleviate traffic towards the motorway.
A first round of return to the port of Los Cristianos is planned for Saturday, specifically 1,427 vehicles, but it will be on Sunday, with more than 3,000 unloading units, when the viability of this new alternative will be tested. The shipping companies will inform their passengers during the journey back to Tenerife.
Calima and a lot of heat in the ‘exodus’
Calima and very hot with temperatures above even thirty degrees. It is the climatological framework for the temporary exodus of the people of Tenerife. It will be along the end of Holy Week; that is, for the next five days. The anticyclone will send in the climatological, according to the forecasts of the Aemet. The trade winds, however, will still dominate gently today and tomorrow, Good Friday. The rise of the mercury begins, according to the diagnosis, on Saturday. Highs typical of the summer will then be reached with limits of 32 degrees. They will especially affect Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. High temperatures and also suspended dust from Africa. The haze will be the featured landscape until next Tuesday. Output operation, therefore, with heat | jdm
