The tourism sector blames flight prices for the drop in holiday bookings

The tourism sector says they are very concerned about the price of flights to the Canary Islands, and warns that bookings will slow down even more if the airlines do not control their prices due to the number of people flying with ‘low-cost’ airlines.

3.5 million tourists came to the Canary Islands on budget airlines in May, an increase of 25.7% over 2022, but the prices have now started to go up which they are concerned will affect these figures.

Airlines warned last year that prices would increase after their insurance policies against fuel price increases ran out, which is what is now happening, as well as the annual ‘school holidays price hike’, but they are going to extreme levels.

The president of the AEAT, Tom Smulders, said yesterday: "It cannot be that a flight to the Canary Islands or from costs up 500 or 600 euros because with these prices tourists will go to other destinations, which is already starting to happen."

Smulders added that he, like everyone, is hearing every day about people who had planned to come to the islands but have ruled out doing so due to increasing flight prices.

"I know of one person who is going to Greece and Turkey this summer for the same price as a flight to Gran Canaria, and a family who looked at a holiday online which had gone up by 700 euros when they went to book it the next day. They are now going to Menorca for almost half the price.”

To make matters worse, he points out that Egypt and Turkey have devalued their currency by 50%, so going to these tourist destinations has been made even more attractive as it’s much cheaper when you get there.

"It is difficult to compete with this, but it is being made even more difficult by the airlines taking flight prices to the absolute limit. The result, what we are experiencing, a slowdown in bookings.”