The educational leisure sector in Catalonia warns that school camps are going through a critical situation due to the collapse of reservations and the uncertainty facing the next academic year. Business associations maintain that registrations have fallen more than 50% and warn that many activities planned for the coming months are now in doubt.
The entities attribute this slowdown to the decision of hundreds of educational centers not to schedule outings as a pressure measure in the open conflict in the educational field. The sector estimates at more than 670 schools the centers that have joined this initiative, a situation that is fully affecting the colonies houses and the companies that organize stays and activities.
Reserves at minimums and activities up in the air
The sector's associations warn that up to 50% of activities might not take place if the situation is not reversed in the coming weeks. They also recall that this type of stays require planning months in advance, both in the organization of groups and in the hiring of staff and the logistics of equipment.
Companies insist that the lack of bookings and the current uncertainty make that planning very difficult. The impact is not limited to the school calendar. It also affects the economic viability of a network of houses of colonies, monitors, kitchen staff, maintenance, and services linked to the activity.
Risk for thousands of jobs
The sector places at close to 5,000 the jobs linked to this activity that would be at risk if the blockade is maintained. The concern grows as the calendar advances, since September has been set as the deadline to try to redirect the situation before the start of the course.
The entities demand dialogue between the Departament d'Educació and the teaching collective to unblock the conflict and ask not to be used as bargaining chips. They defend that school colonies are part of the educational project of many centers and maintain that their disappearance would have a direct impact on children and young people.
The sector warns of a deep crisis
The associations underline that, if there is no agreement before the start of the academic year, educational leisure can enter into a deep crisis. In their opinion, the loss of school camps would not only have immediate effects on activity and employment, but also long-term consequences on an educational model deeply rooted in Catalonia.
The warning arrives at a decisive moment for a sector that depends on foresight and stability to function. Without closed bookings in the coming months, entities fear that a good part of the course's programming will be dismantled and that the blow will be difficult to reverse even if the conflict is resolved later.