Holiday bookings to the Canaries from the UK drop 60% in a week

The hoteliers association that covers the Canary Islands (CEHAT) says that the requirement of Spain and the EU for children aged between 12 and 16 from the UK to be fully vaccinated is ridiculous and has led to a drop in holiday bookings in the Canary Islands of 60% in just a week, and one of the main British operators has already seen some 60,000 reservations affected by the restrictions.

The president of CEHAT, Jorge Marichal, said that the fact that the vaccination of children in the UK only started a few weeks ago, means there is physically no time for them to have two vaccines in time to travel for Christmas and New Year to the islands.

He has also pointed out that not just the Canary Islands are affected, but also the Mediterranean coast and some cities that benefit from family tourism during the winter, all cancellations because there are family members from the UK who cannot travel despite presenting negative tests.

The Confederation does not understand that children from other countries in the Schengen area, with a higher incidence of Covid cases than the UK, can enter Spain without being vaccinated and only have to have an antigen test.

Marichal said yesterday (Tuesday) that the restriction is a "hard blow for the winter season in the Canaries and throughout Spain. We do not understand why the same protocols are not established for all children and families who wish to travel to Spain this Christmas. We need a regulation based on common sense."