Malaga province hotel bookings following fourth AVE line reopening delay vary in losses
Employers' association Aehcos warns that the suspension of the high-speed train until May will have a serious impact on employment in Malaga
The fourth delay in the reopening of the high-speed rail in Malaga province has deepened concerns over the impact on the tourism industry and employment. According to hoteliers, the losses in bookings vary depending on the part of the province, with Malaga city getting the short end of the stick.
Less than two weeks before the start of Easter Week, state rail infrastructure company Adif announced that there will be no direct AVE trains running between Malaga and Madrid until at least the final week of April.
This means that business owners and tourism experts will have to fine-tune their financial and booking estimates. Some have described the losses as "incalculable".
One of the main concerns is that this transport crisis will have a direct impact on staff recruitment, which will have to reduce the number of employees ahead of the Easter season.
According to hoteliers, the average fall in bookings in the province now rises to 26 per cent, including the month of April in the forecasts.
Malaga city's hotel managers, however, expect a drop of up to 30 per cent, which contrast with the 18 per cent loss of bookings along the coast. The latter has the advantage of foreign tourists, who arrive by plane.
At the same time, demand in the interior parts of the province has dropped by 25 per cent.
30%
is the drop in hotel bookings that Malaga city expects as a result of the fourth delay in the reopening of the AVE line
Employers' association Aehcos has stated that the "ongoing suspension of the high-speed rail in the run-up to Easter generates great uncertainty in the tourism sector".
Aehcos agrees that this will "undoubtedly have an impact" on employment, with postponed recruitment processes.
As the association points out, the train is key to the success of tourism in the province, both for leisure and professional purposes. Aehcos calls for the rapid recovery of the rail, as soon as there are enough safety measures in place.
Adif will gradually recover normality on the high-speed tracks in Malaga throughout the year. Initially, the company will only reopen one track, with the double track resuming service with speed limitations at the section in Álora a few months later. "The definitive repair of the infrastructure will probably take until the end of the year," Aehcos says.
The hoteliers urge the responsible authorities to maintain constant communication with the tourism sector to minimise the economic impact that this incident could have on the province.
