Play fair, TUI boss tells Canary islands
TUI boss Peter Long has called on the Canary Islands for more support, claiming subsidises they provide to low-cost carriers are creating an unlevel playing field.
In a brief address at an event for tourism officials and partners, Long urged the islands’ government to treat all carriers equally.
TUI’s chief executive pointed out that TUI Travel accounts for more than one in five of all tourists to Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote and its airlines fly 2.5 million tourists a year to the Canaries, to where they have been operating for more than 30 years.
In recent years, TUI has faced competition from new services launched by low-cost scheduled airlines including easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2.com, which Long suggested were receiving financial incentives from the Canaries government.
A TUI spokeswoman said Long was not asking for financial support for TUI or for the islands to withdraw financial support from the low-cost airlines, "but he does want it to be equal and a level playing field for all," she added.
While admitting that the Canary Islands – one of the UK’s top selling winter sun destinations – were important to TUI, Long called on the islands’ government and hoteliers to support the group, which plans to develop new ‘differentiated’ hotels in the Canaries.
Long finished his address by adding that TUI brought value to the islands in several areas including airports, hotels, transportation and excursions and said "developing a plan with the Government and partners on the Islands will benefit everyone".
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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