The Spanish Minister for Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, stated on Wednesday that Spain has ‘full capacity to meet the energy needs of air transport’, against a backdrop of high fuel prices due to the conflict in the Middle East, although he also warned of the ‘interdependence’ with regard to airports in other countries.
‘We can fill the planes in Málaga, Barcelona or Madrid, but we also depend on Heathrow or Hanover being able to fill the planes with kerosene,’ he added during the conference “A whole country of tourism V. Responsible Vanguardia”, organised by “elDiario.es”. The minister stressed that Europe needs to take “active and proactive” measures to establish an energy strategy and procure energy.
Regarding the shift in tourist flows resulting from the conflict in the Middle East, in Hereu’s view, the coming months may see a mix of “various phenomena” that “add up and cancel each other out”.
On the one hand, he cited the decline in demand for destinations close to the conflict, in favour of others that are further away and safer, whilst, on the other, he stated that the rising cost of air travel could also deter tourists.
“When there are conflicts, mobility can be affected globally, and therefore in Spain too, when costs rise,” according to the Minister. When asked about the coming months and the summer season, Hereu emphasised that Spain is approaching this period with a sense of “optimism”, although he made it clear, at the same time, that he would not like to see “an influx that is difficult to manage”, as he believes that “the quality of service and the experience are at odds with overcrowding”.
Hours earlier, in the corridors of Parliament, the minister mentioned that “the data so far” does not point “to any major cause for concern”, whilst also noting that it is the air transport sector which has reported an increase in bookings for travel to Spain.