The Canaries president says that 2022 is ‘The year of the comeback’

The president of the Canary Islands, Angel Víctor Torres, shared his optimism at the inauguration of FITUR today (Wednesday) by saying that 2022 will be ‘the year of the comeback’ and the islands will recover 90% of the tourist numbers that visited them in 2019, the year before the start of the pandemic.

Torres, who was participating remotely because he has tested positive for Covid, said that he is making this prediction fully aware that at the moment most of the world is immersed in an increase of Covid-19 infections due to the omicron variant, but also knowing that scientific experts say that it is unlikely that a seventh wave or an unknown variant will come along and have the same effect.

The president added that the tourism sector was already gaining momentum in 2021, which closed with seven million visitors to the Canary Islands, above forecasts and expectations, despite the fact that for several months of last year there were ongoing problems in the issuing markets with restrictions and in the islands with the incidence of the virus.

“Of course, everything will depend exclusively on the pandemic, but we have maintained connectivity and the Canary Islands continue to be an attractive destination for international tourists and also for Spanish from the mainland. I believe we will fulfil these predictions if there isn’t a seventh wave or another unknown variant, which scientific advisors tell me is not very likely” he said.

Torres also explained that the Canary Islands ended 2021 with fewer unemployed than in February 2020, the month before the pandemic was declared, when the unemployment rate on the islands had fallen below 20% ‘for the first time in eleven years’. “At that point we saw a significant economic comeback, which I think will come back again in 2022," he concluded.