Yaiza Castilla, the islands’ tourism minister, has asked Madrid to drop the requirement for anyone over the age of 12 to be fully vaccinated to enter Spain. The islands were losing out to Egypt in the current winter season, she said, with summer bookings going to Greece and Turkey.

Canarian Weekly said the vaccine requirement had affected families with children aged 12-15, who had had to cancel holidays to the islands.

“The measure has seriously harmed the Canaries since its implementation, and in December alone, an estimated 100,000 bookings from British tourists were cancelled,” the newspaper said.

It added the winter season was “already considered lost” and raised fears for Easter, May and June.

Spain was losing out to destinations including Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria and Croatia, which require tests but do not prevent entry to the unvaccinated, the newspaper warned.