Free room for selfisolating tourists

‘Stay-cation’ help for some Costa hotels

FREE hotel accommodation will be provided for any tourists who have to self-isolate in the Valencia region due to Covid-19.

Regional secretary for tourism Francesc Colomer explained that two hotels are being set up for the purpose – one in Benidorm for Alicante province and another in Valencia city for tourists visiting Valencia and Castellón.

He noted that €280,000 is being invested in securing the rooms, which would be used exclusively for this purpose.

The regional government approved a resolution to provide accommodation for tourists who test positive for Covid-19, or who are suspected of having the virus, meaning they have to extend their stays.

The initiative has been coordinated with the Costa Blanca Hosbec hoteliers’ association and other business organisations.

The tourists will be given a room ‘which has all the guarantees’, stated Sr Colomer.

He stated that the initiative would help to give confidence and security to national and international visitors to the area.

“Our tourism industry has made an enormous effort to put protocols into place and reinforce security,” he said.

Sr Colomer also highlighted the numerous other measures that have been put in place to ensure visitors are safe, such as dividing up beaches into plots to prevent overcrowding, etc.

‘Stay-cation’ helps out

Sr Colomer added that Spaniards who are choosing to spend their holidays in the region are helping to make up for some of the losses incurred due to the shortage of international tourists.

He said they expect occupancy rates in hotels to be around 50% for August ‘thanks to national tourism’. This would be an increase on July when hotels on the coast averaged 41%, with accommodation in rural areas faring better. Sr Colomer noted that it would be a ‘year of survival’ for the tourism sector.