Ibiza’s business and hotel association are disappointed to receive the announcement from the Government of Boris Johnson to postpone the de-escalation from June 21 to July 19, when the list of countries in green traffic light for the British will again be updated.
In addition, Ana Gordillo, president of the Hotel Business Federation of Ibiza and Formentera (FEHIF), believes that the next review will not open the door to travel to Spain, and that for this season there can no longer be an alternative plan due to “lack of time” . “It is all very hasty and although other markets work very well, they do not fill the British quota”, she laments. She concludes that this decision is a “tremendous blow” for tourism on the island.
Juanjo Planells, president of the Sant Antoni Hotel Business Association, assures that the announcement did not surprise them and that the reasons “are clearly geopolitical.” “It should be remembered that 56.9% of its population is vaccinated, they are close to achieving herd immunity,” he points out. He recommends working with other countries and tour operators to cushion the blow. Even so, he admits that despite the rebound in the national market and in continental Europe, “there is no capacity to respond” to mitigate the figures provided by the British market, which “brought 960,000 tourists to Ibiza in 2019.”
It also warns that the decision “conditions the reactivation of many companies, with certain areas of the island being particularly affected”, while foreseeing that some businesses will choose not to open. Although he considers July lost, he proposes that safe corridors be established between the Pitiusas and the United Kingdom.
Juan Miguel Costa, insular director of Tourism, interprets that Johnson seeks to move the internal economy: “It is surprising that no distinction is made between the Peninsula and the islands, we have an optimal health situation.”
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