‘No date’ for British tourists
“The pandemic is showing us that it is very risky to put a date on anything”
Tourism chief speaks exclusively to Costa Blanca News
THIS week Costa Blanca News spoke to regional secretary for tourism Francesc Colomer about how the coronavirus outbreak is likely to affect summer tourism in the Valencia region (provinces of Alicante, Valencia and Castellón).
Sr Colomer answered a number of questions about when tourists might arrive and under what conditions – and whether Britons might have to wait longer than other Europeans in countries which have dealt better with Covid-19.
You have spoken about ‘safe tourism’ for the summer season. How are you going to ensure that international tourists do not present a risk for residents who live in the region?
We can talk of safe tourism when we have introduced all the health and safety measures that the government and competent administrations have set out, which are the most adequate to guarantee the safety of tourists and residents.
At the moment the tourism sector – hotels, restaurants, leisure areas, etc – is adapting its protocols to each of the phases of the exit plan. And adhering to these rules from the health ministry is what should bring security to everyone.
With respect to the arrival of international tourists, we are working with the government to establish and then bring in measures which can reactivate the tourism sector without putting anyone’s health at risk.
This could be safe ‘corridors’ between regions which are in the same condition, or control measures when they arrive and then checks on these tourists and their health.
On the subject of safe corridors, has the regional government set up any agreements with EU countries to bring in tourists? Which countries would be first and when would the tourists be able to arrive?
We are still working on this with the Spanish government and waiting to see what the prerequisites for opening will be. It does not only depend on the situation here, but also on the situation in other countries or regions where the tourists come from. In the first instance, we need to be in phase three of the exit plan, and then they will have to fulfil a series of conditions in order to come.
At the moment we can’t say much more, but we hope to be able to do so very soon.
The UK is very important for Costa Blanca tourism but the country is behind Spain with regards to the coronavirus. When do you foresee that British tourists will be able to visit the Costa Blanca?
One thing that the pandemic is showing us is that it is very risky to put a date on anything. We do not know when we will be on the same level, which will allow us to open up again to British tourists. Obviously it is a very important market for us, but we cannot rush these decisions.
What we do know is that international tourists want to come back here as soon as there are safety guarantees for everyone.
The data we have shows that we are among the options that they are looking at when they are planning their trips and we haven’t lost any ground. This makes us hopeful – and we are confident that when people can travel again we can recover the trust of potential visitors.
Do you have any specific plan to attract British tourism for this summer in an attempt to ‘save’ the season for Costa Blanca hotels and businesses?
We have had to completely modify our marketing strategy in order to adapt it to the new situation and, above all, to the timeframes which the health authorities have set out. We still do not know if this tourism can be recovered for the summer season. But we will be ready to launch a beefed up strategy for the British market as soon as it is possible to do so.
This will involve a bigger online presence, increased advertising to show our strengths and variety – as well as the security that following all the regulations will bring. British people should know that we are a safe and living Mediterranean destination, which they can come back to with guarantees when the situation allows it.
The thought of mass tourism returning to the coast is causing worry for some residents due to the coronavirus and possible new outbreaks. The worry increases in areas where there are a lot of illegal apartments such as Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa and Benidorm.
Do you have a specific plan to identify illegal accommodation this summer, taking into account that it could represent a danger for residents?
The Valencia tourism department has always had a very proactive attitude with regard to illegal accommodation and those who are renting out tourist apartments illegally. Through campaigns we have let the property owners and the users know that it is not good for anyone.
We have also increased fines and taken action against platforms which advertise this kind of accommodation, winning cases in court. This will not be any different this summer.
How can residents report an illegal apartment? Is there a web page, a telephone number or email which they can use to pass on information to the tourism department?
Anyone who wants to report a situation or make a complaint can contact the tourism service in Alicante. Their contact phone number is 96 593 79 24. They can also send an email to either of these addresses: contacta_turisme@gva.es or reclamaciones_turismoa@gva.es
They can also go to one of our provincial tourism offices where it is possible to register tourism accommodation as well to report any sort of incident.
How are you going to spend your part of the €2,651 million which the government has announced for tourism?
We are still waiting for more information so we can plan how we will use the money. The concepts which have been announced by the government are perfectly in line with strategy which we are following in the Valencia region, such as the digital revolution and sustainability.
We will try to do it in the best possible way to reactivate the tourism sector which is fundamental for our economy. And we will do it the same way as always – which is by including everyone.