This February marks two years since Russia's special operation in Ukraine and where the United Kingdom has signed a security cooperation agreement with Ukraine to provide it with intelligence, cybersecurity, medical and military training and industrial cooperation. in defense matters. TUI, with a major Russian shareholder, complains about prices in the south of Gran Canaria. And Ryanair follows suit without putting pressure on its government about the tax burden on airplane kerosene.
The Ukrainian crisis has been tightening the pockets of all Europeans for two years now and TUI together with Ryanair intend to ensure that their financial plans do not affect their nationals. The cost of a holiday in the south of Gran Canaria increased by an average of 10% in 2023, with increases showing no signs of slowing due to increased demand and global inflation. Around 14 per cent more people are likely to visit Gran Canaria this April compared to a year ago and now some of the UK's major airlines have issued a warning to hoteliers and Airbnb owners in southern Gran Canaria so that they keep prices as low as they should to avoid losing visitors.
At a recent tourism convention, TUI, Jet2 and Ryanair said that possible recessions in the United Kingdom and Germany could have a major impact on the Canary Islands economy, as these are the two main tourist groups in the area. Therefore, operators argued that hospitality businesses should keep price increases as low as possible, since people in the United Kingdom and Germany, the Canary Islands' two main tourist groups, generally do not have as much money to spend.
In an interview with the Handelsblatt, the head of TUI, Sebastian Ebel, gave his opinion on the German crisis and gave the planned increase in the aviation tax as an example. Ebel demands that Germany not blockade. In the numerous strikes of recent days and weeks, sectoral unions, such as those on the railways, have paralyzed the entire country. He now uses the car frequently again because he is afraid of being late for his appointments. The biggest advantage in Germany has always been the reliability of the framework conditions, underlines the CEO. Reliability and predictability would have strengthened this country, our economy, and our democracy.
In the interview, the TUI boss calls for, among other things, a reduction in bureaucracy and a move away from “complex regulatory madness”. Regulation should establish a framework and aim for a goal, but should not “specify the path in detail.” He claims that people and companies often find the way better and faster than politicians. In Germany and Europe there is no shortage of innovative spirit and good ideas: there is a lack of freedom to develop them.
