Yzabelle Bostyn
INDUSTRY leaders have warned Malaga province could lose €4.8bn in tourism revenue if private pools are banned this summer.
The Andalucian Association of Tourism Apartments and Accommodation Professionals (AVVAPro) has called on the Junta not to ban filling private pools as they say it would cause a drastic loss of profit.
They say the months of June, July and August could lose 2.8 million tourists if the ban is not lifted.
It comes after AVVAPro met with the Junta on Tuesday to look for solutions.
“We are aware of the grave situation of the drought we are experiencing and the difficult situation we are facing.
“The Junta has recently shown us the latest supply figures, the current state of the reservoirs and the emergency measures they are carrying out,” said AVVAPro president, Juan Cubo, this Thursday.
According to AVVAPro, their figures are a ‘conservative’ estimate of the threat drought measures face to the tourism industry, taking only June, July, August and September into account.
“We are thankful for the sensitivity shown by the Junta representatives,” said Cubo.
“They have given us hope, saying a final decision will be made in the next weeks according to the possibility that new rainfall could help the current situation, in which case, there may be some flexibility to partially lift some of the restrictions.”
The association claims there are over 25,000 tourist accommodations in Malaga with swimming pools.
These offer some 155,000 tourists a place to stay over an average of 5.7 days.
The average tourist spends €1674 during their holiday in the region.
“With 122 available nights over the summer months with an average occupation of 85%, the data reveals a huge image that not filling swimming pools in Malaga could have.”
