canary islands mv hondius cruise ship tourism impact study

Canary Islands orders study into cruise ship tourism impact

Government orders study into cruise ship tourism impact

The Government of the Canary Islands has commissioned a study to determine whether the presence of the cruise ship ‘MV Hondius’ at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife has had any effect on the region’s tourism image. The vessel, which was affected by a hantavirus outbreak, became the subject of a major operation that generated widespread public attention and institutional debate.

Speaking on Thursday, the President of the regional government, Fernando Clavijo, explained that it is still too early to say whether any damage has been done to the destination. However, he confirmed that the Tourism Department is already working to analyse the situation and produce a data-based assessment.

“I cannot say now whether there has been damage or not, but I can certainly say that the Tourism Department is working on it,” Clavijo told the media.

Security guarantees were requested, not denied

The Canarian president insisted that the archipelago “never said no” to receiving the ‘MV Hondius’ at the port of Granadilla. According to Clavijo, the regional government’s position was to request security guarantees for the population of Tenerife before completing the operation.

Clavijo argued that seeking these guarantees “was an institutional obligation”. In his view, solidarity cannot be understood as a renunciation of the duty to protect citizens during a sensitive health situation.

“Being solidary does not mean leaving your population unprotected and putting them at risk,” the president stated, adding that this message has been understood by a large part of Canarian society.

Canary Islands’ humanitarian commitment reaffirmed

The head of the regional government also rejected any suggestion that the Canary Islands’ commitment to humanitarian situations could be called into question. In this regard, he reminded that the islands have been dealing with the arrival of migrants via the Atlantic route from Africa for years.

Source

Scroll to Top