Antonio Hormiga (ASOFUER) denounces Iberia Express monopoly in Fuerteventura and calls for more airline competition

Antonio Hormiga, president of ASOFUER, Fuerteventura’s tourism employers’ association, has denounced the lack of airline competition on routes between Fuerteventura and mainland Spain, particularly Madrid, and called on the Tourism Board to act to attract new airlines. “I always raise the issue of domestic routes: there’s a monopoly here called Iberia Express,” he said in an interview with La Voz de Fuerteventura. He urged the island body to “get its act together” and negotiate with other operators to expand flight options.

Hormiga says Iberia Express raises fares considerably once aircraft reach certain occupancy levels. According to him, prices start to rise once 60% of seats have been sold, making travel more expensive for both residents and visitors.

The employers’ association president questioned the use of public funds to promote airlines that, in his view, push up prices. “Why give money to Iberia? So they can raise their prices? … Well, I’m not giving them anything,” he said, convinced that demand is sufficient to sustain the routes without such incentives.

The association president revealed that a year ago it was announced that “Binter was coming to Fuerteventura direct to Madrid. And what did Iberia Express do? It put on another flight so they’d get a bit worried and not come to Fuerteventura.”

His criticism extended beyond agreements with airlines to the way the Fuerteventura Tourism Board itself operates. He reproached it for failing to engage with business representatives, saying that some meetings are called with only one or two days’ notice, or even on the day they are held.

“We need to debate; there’s no debate,” Hormiga lamented. He believes this approach prevents the sector from taking part effectively in tourism-related decisions.

General strike, hospitality agreement and housing crisis

On the general strike called for Wednesday 11 November, Hormiga said the first information available to the association pointed to a limited impact in Fuerteventura.

The Asofuer president called it “a rather strange strike” because, in his interpretation, it is not directed against the Government but against the opposition or a possible future right-wing government.

He nevertheless acknowledged the seriousness of one of the main issues behind the action: the difficulty of finding housing. This directly affects workers and tourism businesses, which are also struggling to find staff at a time when absenteeism and sick leave have soared.

Hormiga rejected outright the idea that tourism should be held responsible for the situation. He instead pointed to the various public administrations, saying they had failed to anticipate population growth or build enough social housing.

As an example of the severity of the problem, he noted that hotel workers are currently paying €500 or €600 for a room in a shared home—sums that would previously have covered the rent for an entire house.

“That can’t go on; something has to give,” he warned.

The Asofuer president insisted that the problem stemmed from decades of poor planning and called for a housing policy that takes account of the needs of an island whose population has grown considerably.

On negotiations over the hospitality collective agreement for the province of Las Palmas, Hormiga defended the existing working conditions and said he was confident that employers and unions would ultimately reach an agreement. He once again maintained that the Las Palmas agreement “is the best hospitality agreement in the whole country”.

Hormiga noted that Asofuer manager Mario de la Cruz is directly involved in the negotiations. He acknowledged that talks have been intense but said he was confident that “an agreement will be reached in the end”.

He warned, however, that even a substantial pay rise would not solve the housing problem if rents continued to exceed €1,000 a month.

Asked about the redistribution of tourism wealth, at a time when hotel prices in Fuerteventura have risen, Hormiga argued that higher hotel prices had not necessarily translated into greater business profits because supplies and operating costs had become more expensive.

“Before, you earned more by charging less. Now, you earn less by charging more,” he said.

He also discussed the introduction of lift-up beds to make room attendants’ work easier. According to him, the major hotel chains have largely adopted these systems, while smaller establishments will have to continue adapting and complete their introduction by 2030 to make the work of room attendants easier. The sector has been vocal in calling for these improvements for years.

Asofuer to object to La Oliva tourist tax and does not rule out legal action

The tourist tax initially approved by La Oliva Town Council, set at €0.56 per person per night, has angered the business association. It has prepared submissions to lodge objections while the bylaw is being processed and has not ruled out taking the matter to court if the council maintains the measure.

The Asofuer president believes La Oliva has chosen the wrong legal route. He cited the precedent of Mogán, where the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands overturned a bylaw regulating the tax, although the ruling is not final.

Hormiga also questioned why tourism businesses should be responsible for collecting the tax and then paying it to the council.

He cited Lanzarote as an example and stressed that the association is not opposed to every form of tourism taxation, provided it is legally structured and the proceeds are used to improve the destination.

“If the money is ring-fenced, if the tax or levy is ring-fenced for tourism, we’ll sign whenever you like,” he said.

Among the priorities he identified were improving natural and tourist areas such as Calderón Hondo, where he called for suitable facilities, accessibility and maintenance in keeping with its appeal to visitors.

European funds missed for tourism-area regeneration

Hormiga also criticised the management of European funds intended to restore and modernise tourism infrastructure. In his view, Fuerteventura has not made sufficient use of the funding opportunities that became available after the pandemic, particularly through the Next Generation programmes. “There was a lot of money,” he stressed.

He believes, however, that the authorities should have pursued a more ambitious strategy to secure funding for the regeneration and modernisation of the main tourist areas.

In this context, he recalled that the tourism sustainability plans of the Fuerteventura Island Council and La Oliva date from the previous term of office, and asserted that Asofuer had helped drive those initiatives.

According to Hormiga, closer coordination between the public authorities and businesses would have made it possible to secure more European funding and develop new projects.

Against this backdrop, he highlighted Asofuer’s work in securing and directly managing programmes funded by European money. He said the association had met the requirements for processing and accounting for the projects it had carried out, and was continuing to look for new funding calls.

Strengthening the eastern islands in partnership with Skål

On public spaces, Hormiga lamented the deterioration of tourist areas such as Caleta de Fuste and Corralejo, particularly the problems with cleanliness and maintenance.

“Tourists’ complaints here in Fuerteventura are the same as ours: dirt and a poor appearance,” he said.

In this context, he welcomed the partnership between Asofuer and Skål Internacional Canarias Islas Orientales to strengthen cooperation between businesses in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, which share problems relating to infrastructure, transport and security.

The employers’ association president proposed holding further meetings focused on specific problems, seeking joint solutions and involving the public authorities in a shared roadmap to improve both tourist destinations.

Tourism outlook: Asofuer unconcerned by fall in air capacity

As for the sector’s outlook, Hormiga played down the 3.5% reduction in air seats from the UK—one of the main source markets for visitors to Fuerteventura. The figure emerged during the recent World Travel Market in London.

The Asofuer president attributed the adjustment to airlines’ efforts to improve aircraft occupancy and offset rising fuel costs.

He also said Fuerteventura could not keep breaking visitor records indefinitely, partly because the island’s accommodation capacity is limited.

He pointed to possible declines of 3% or 4% and estimated that a larger fall could be recorded in 2028, while stressing that this was cyclical behaviour that was not causing particular concern among business owners for now.

Asofuer has also observed a change in tourists’ booking habits, with more people making reservations at the last minute, making it harder to forecast hotel occupancy.

Despite this, Hormiga was optimistic about the winter season, and particularly the Christmas period.

He concluded by highlighting the loyalty of British and German visitors and Fuerteventura’s ability to remain an attractive tourist destination.