The president of Venezuela’s Higher Council of Tourism (Conseturismo), Jesús Irausquín, said that tourism in Venezuela is decreasing, to the point that during the present holiday season, accommodation services reported only 45% occupancy rate.
“The problem we have with tourism in Venezuela is that it is decreasing, that we are not strengthening how effective tourism can be for the rest of the country,” Irausquín told reporters in Caracas, in the middle of an event for the World Tourism Day.
He pointed out that the preliminary reports for July, August and September show occupancy rates ranging between 35 and 45%, which he considered as an “extremely negative” sign since that quarter was considered “one of the most important seasons that Venezuela has,” same as the month of December and Holy Week.
For his part, Humberto Figuera, president of the Association of Venezuelan Airlines (ALAV), said that domestic connections “are unstable because they are too few for the current demand,” but held that “at least no destination has been removed” in recent months.
“Airlines maintain their frequency (...) the balance is looking positive little by little,” he mentioned.
Figuera noted as important that domestic airlines, with the consent of the National Institute of Civil Aviation (INAC), “are reaching international destinations and the revenues have been able to ease and minimize the losses that they see every time they send a plane on a domestic route,” where prices are regulated by the Government.
Despite having the largest oil reserves in the world and natural attractions, Venezuela has been hit by a severe economic crisis that has impacted economic activity, including tourism in Venezuela, which translates into widespread shortages and hyperinflation.
Representatives of the tourism sector hold that citizen insecurity, deterioration of roads, control of currency exchange, and lack of promotion are factors playing against the tourist activity in the South American country.