The Canary Islands foresee a busier but more expensive Easter than 2019

The tourism sector expects the Canary Islands to be all but full this Easter thanks to international, national, and local tourism. Reservations started slowly but in the last few weeks they have been increasing and due to the change in travel restrictions, particularly from mainland Spain, last-minute bookings have skyrocketed and record sales are expected this week.

According to online travel agency Destinia: “Currently, the reservations for Easter in the Canary Islands are at the same level as they were at this point in 2019, while the rest of the country they are down by 28%”.

Destinia says that “in the last three weeks reservations for the islands have given a big push, and last week there were 48% more reservations to the islands than there were in the same week of 2019. It is expected this Easter will exceed that of 2019.”

The president of FEHT (Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs), José María Mañaricúa, believes that April will reach occupancy levels of 75 to 80% and that the four days of the Easter weekend will reach 90% or more thanks to local and national tourism.

However, although bookings are on the increase compared to 2019, so are prices due to the rise in electricity, and raw materials to make food and drinks. According to data from Destinia, the average price per person per night has increased by 9% in the Canary Islands this Easter. Despite this, it is still lower than the national price increase of 13%.

Hoteliers have confirmed the price increase and blame it on rising costs, saying they are in a ‘catch 22’ situation. FEHT said “The more rooms they sell, the more they lose. The current prices cannot be lowered. Selling a room below the established price supposes losses because there is a greater cost of electricity. People leave refrigerators open and showers with hot water running. All prices have skyrocketed and we have to deal with it.”

INTERNATIONAL VISITORS INCREASE IN THE CANARY ISLANDS THIS EASTER:
Foreign tourism will gain weight this Easter in the Canary Islands, according to Destinia, who confirms that 22% of the total reservations for this year are international visitors, when on the same dates in 2019 they represented 13%.

In terms of nationalities, the British are in first place, with a percentage of 38%, followed by the French (23%), Italians (12%), and Germans (7%).

At Easter, national and local tourists also play a key role, and have been essential in sustaining the sector during the two years of the pandemic. The good forecasts for Easter are anticipated as the firm consolidation of the recovery of the tourism sector.

In this way, FEHT predicts that, after Easter, the Canary Islands will also have a good summer even if some restrictions are still in place, although they remain cautious about uncertainties that are still on the horizon.

High inflation, rising fuel prices (aircraft kerosene) and the war in Ukraine are elements that could damage the recovery of the sector. “Bookings initially slowed down but there are still bookings. It is not an avalanche nor is there the 'champagne effect' that was expected, but reservations are coming in," they said.

However, he added that “full recovery won’t be seen until restrictions for the unvaccinated from the UK are lifted, which we hope will be sooner rather than later.”