SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Feb. 17 (EUROPE PRESS) –
CaixaBank ‘Hotels & Tourism’, the business line with which the entity leads the tourism market through a model of specialization and proximity to companies and businesses in the sector, has granted a total of 172 million euros of credit to the sector hotel and tourist accommodation in the Canary Islands during 2021.
This volume of credit once again demonstrates CaixaBank’s confidence in the Canarian tourism sector and the entity’s firm commitment to continue to be a key player in supporting the recovery of the sector, facilitating the granting of credit and supporting its specific needs. the entity in a note.
In Spain as a whole, CaixaBank has granted 2,600 million euros through 2,400 credit operations, the highest number of new financing that the entity has allocated to the sector in a single year.
CaixaBank currently has a total loan portfolio for the hotel sector of 8,200 million euros.
CaixaBank’s specialization and knowledge of the field of tourism through ‘Hotels & Tourism’ has allowed the financial entity, during the crisis derived from COVID-19, to make specific support measures available to customers in the tourism sector, among which the granting of liquidity lines and moratoriums or deficiencies in mortgage loans stand out, in order to preserve the liquidity of companies as much as possible.
In addition, of the total loan portfolio to the hotel sector, 14% has an ICO guarantee.
Support for the sector will also be articulated through the management of access to the European Funds for Recovery (Next Generation EU), of which tourism companies will be one of the main beneficiaries.
With the aim of being an active agent in disseminating the aid available and speeding up its arrival to beneficiaries, CaixaBank offers an aid search engine to provide customers and non-customers with access to these funds.
This search engine allows you to consult the existing options depending on the beneficiary, economic sector of the recipient, type of aid, call and province.
Access to this digital platform, which has been developed by Minsait (Indra group), can be done from CaixaBankNow, the bank’s digital platform, and through the web portals of CaixaBank companies and Caixabank businesses.
SPECIALIZED SERVICE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE SECTOR
CaixaBank ‘Hotels & Tourism’ has more than 11,700 clients in the tourist accommodation sector and is positioned as a benchmark for this segment of companies with the capacity to detect the needs of the sector and support it with the personalized service it requires through a team of 30 professionals specialized in the hotel market and more than 1,500 advisers from CaixaBank Empresas.
Through this specialized division, CaixaBank provides the hotel market with a range of differentiated products and services to help optimize the profitability of its business and simplify its daily activity, taking into account the needs of the different subsectors: hotels, tourist accommodation and campsites.
In addition, CaixaBank ‘Hotels & Tourism’ is especially sensitive to socially responsible projects, such as those that incorporate improvements in energy efficiency, accessibility, water and waste management, or that promote the employment of people at risk of exclusion.
In this context, CaixaBank stands out for its responsible action and is recognized as such by the main international organizations.
The Dow Jones Sustainability Index places it among the best global banks in terms of corporate responsibility.
‘Hotels & Tourism’ has agreements with more than 40 hotel federations and associations, and regularly organizes meetings with leading businessmen in the sector throughout the Spanish geography.
In addition, the financial institution is a member of the World Tourism Organization, the United Nations body in charge of promoting responsible, sustainable and accessible tourism for all.
OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK FOR THE SECTOR
According to the latest report on Tourism published by CaixaBank Research, the prospects for the tourism sector invite us to be more optimistic.
CaixaBank’s research service forecasts that in the coming months the pandemic situation will register a clear improvement that will allow the level of domestic and international mobility to recover and reinstate the improvement trends prior to the latest wave of COVID-19.
CaixaBank Research forecasts for the year 2022 are that tourism GDP will be at a level of 82% compared to 2019 -a record similar to that of 2016-, pointing to a growth of 51% per year.
In addition, the CaixaBank research service points out that the role of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) funds will also be important, not only to boost growth, but also to underpin the long-term growth potential of the sector, paying for investments in digitization, sustainability and improvement of infrastructures, which are currently difficult to afford for a very damaged tourism industry.
