MADRID – Energy prices have risen so much that it is impossible to cut back, that is a general feeling that prevails. The Association of Independent Travel Agencies of Germany has a solution.
German travel agencies propose that retirees spend the winter in Spain to save on gas. They are asking the German government to issue vouchers worth €500. This is so that pensioners can travel to warm countries in winter. In this way, they save on heating gas and thus make the country less dependent on Russian gas.
“Travelling against Putin”
The association proposed in an interview with the German newspaper Rheinische Post. “Travelling against Putin is better than freezing because of Putin,” he told the paper. The proposal is for retirees to travel to places in Spain, such as Mallorca or the Canary Islands. The climate is much more pleasant in these places, and furthermore, they are not dependent on Russian gas.
Tourism industry
The idea of spending the winter in warmer climates should be taken seriously, especially as it is an energy-saving way that we can benefit from in the industry,” chairman Linnhoff told Euronews, assuring the effect would be doubly positive. are “because it would help reduce energy consumption while having positive effects on the tourism industry, one of the most affected by the pandemic.
Saving on gas consumption
So far, the German government has not made any official statement about the possibility of implementing this measure. However, the chairman of the tourism committee of the Bundestag, Jana Schimke, assures that the costs of this support would be so high that it would not compensate for the possible savings on gas consumption.
It is estimated that the implementation of this plan would involve around €10 billion. This means that the proposal of the travel agencies is practically ruled out because it is seen as financially unfeasible.
The Balearic Islands government declined to comment as it sees the issue as one over which it has no powers. They are patiently waiting for the confirmation or rejection of the proposal. Mallorca is in any case one of the top destinations for German tourism and every year more than four million Germans come to the island to spend their holidays in both summer and winter.
Tourism is on the rise again
The forecasts for this year are very good and Mallorca hoteliers expect to reach pre-pandemic figures this year once the health situation is under control. Easter has been very successful for the industry that is slowly recovering from the negative effects of the pandemic and additional travel restrictions.
