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The Federation of Tourism Companies of Chile (Fedetur) together with the Chilean Association of Tourism (Achet) and the Chilean Association of Gastronomy (Achiga), reiterated that they have been going through hard times since the social outbreak, which increased with the arrival of the pandemic.
A survey carried out by the union to the areas of accommodation, gastronomy, tour operators, travel agencies and transport, established that the 70% of the companies consulted accepted the Employment Protection Law, while 53% of them acknowledged having applied for the Covid loan with a state guarantee.
Meanwhile, 36% of those surveyed indicated that they have renegotiated loans with financial institutions.
Regarding the reduction of the working day, according to the number of workers that each company consulted has, 65% indicated that they have not made any reduction, while a 6% stated that they reduced it by 100% and 4% indicated that they had reduced it by 50%.
Regarding dismissals, also taking into account the number of workers in each company, 53% of those surveyed said they had not fired personnel, 4% said they had made a complete reduction and 4% in half. In turn, 26% stated that they had not suspended the working day, and 25% indicated that they suspended it 100%.
Faced with these numbers, Fedetur’s Executive Vice President, Helen Kouyoumdjian, indicated that are the expression of enormous difficulties who is facing tourism in the worst crisis in its history.
“We are by far one of the economic sectors hardest hit by the pandemic, since our activity is practically paralyzed, and this is shown by the figures shown in this survey,” he said.
But despite the difficulties, the union representative highlighted the effort that companies in the sector are making to stand up and protect their workers.
“Many companies have embraced the Employment Protection Law, precisely so as not to fire their staff and stay afloat until a certain normalcy can be resumed. Most tourism companies do not have the backs to endure many months without working and that is why it is essential have liquidity and tools that allow them to survive, “he added.
Difficulties to apply for Covid credits
The same Fedetur survey consulted for Covid credits. A 53% of the respondents indicated that they had applied for the loan, while 27% have not done so and 20% are evaluating it.
Regarding the response they have obtained from the banks, 45% stated that they still have no response from the banks, while 7% have rejected it.
In qualitative terms, the main questions refer to the slowness of financial institutions to process the credits and deliver a definitive answer.
There are also criticisms of risk criteria that the banks are using at the time of granting the financing, affirming that they are using normal time parameters for an exceptional situation.
Given this, Helen Kouyoumdjian appreciated the measures that the Government has been implementing, such as the Fogape credits, but reiterated “that it is essential that this aid reach those who need it effectively and expeditiously, because tourism companies no longer have much margin “
“It is imperative that banks take into account that the tourism industry was already hit with the outbreak of violence that began in October, and that the recovery time of the sector will be slower due to the lag that there will be with respect to demand when restrictions begin to be lifted, “he pointed out.
Finally, the executive vice president of Fedetur called on banks to support SMEs and companies in general “and thus guarantee the sustainability of one of the most important sectors for the country’s economy.”
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