UP TO € 600 OFF HOLIDAYS
Residents in the Valencia region can save on the cost of accommodation
A NEW holiday discount scheme was inundated with so many applications when it was launched by the regional government on Tuesday that the system was frequently overwhelmed.
The Viatgem CV programme – which offers residents up to 70% off the price of getaways within the Valencia region – involves 700 businesses including travel agencies, hotels, tourist apartments, campsites, rural houses and holiday home management companies.
As soon as the website went online at noon there was a flood of interest, with 1,193 people registering within the first hour.
The system had to be limited to prevent it from crashing as it received up to 600 requests per minute, leaving many users unable to access the site.
Regional tourism secretary
Francesc Colomer asked people to be patient if they experienced ‘ momentary’ problems, and recommended that they should ‘ wait and try later in the day’.
He said it was a symptom of how ‘ welcome and successful’ the initiative was.
IN A bid to boost the tourism sector, a discount scheme for residents to take holidays within the Valencia region has been launched by the regional government.
They can obtain reductions of up to 70% off hotel reservations within the region, up to a maximum value of € 600.
The only requirements to be eligible are to be over 18 years of age and on the municipal register ( padrón) of a town hall within the Valencia region.
The scheme has been allocated a total budget of € 14.3 million. At the presentation in Valencia’s museum of arts and sciences on Friday, Valencia government president Ximo Puig was joined by politicians and representatives of the tourism sector from all over the region.
Elche tourism councillor, Carles Molina said tourism is a ‘ vital sector’ and these incentives are ‘ a very positive step in order to create employment and generate economic activity’.
The reservation must be for a minimum two- night stay and the discount can also cover activities and services, including health and wellness, sports, excursions and entertainment.
If the hotel’s restaurant services are being booked as well, the voucher is only applicable for up to half- board.
The discount voucher can be requested online at www. bono viajecv. gva but in order to fill out this application form a digital signature is required.
Alternatively, the voucher can be requested direct from the hotel or travel agent, provided that they are part of the Viatgem project, in which case they request the voucher on your behalf and a digital signature is not necessary.
Once the voucher has been requested, a code is sent that must be included when making the reservation.
The booking must be made within a week as the activation code is only valid for seven
days, although the trip can be on any of the dates covered by the scheme.
The voucher can be redeemed for travel over three separate periods.
Depending on which of these periods the trip will take place in, the voucher must be applied for within certain dates and not before: for trips between October 20 and December 31, 2020, apply between October 20 and December 20; for trips between January 1 and March 24, 2021, apply between January 1 and March 19, 2021; and for trips between October 13 and December 31, 2021, apply between October 13 and December 20, 2021.
Only one voucher can be applied for per person in each period but a single voucher can cover a trip for several people as it applies to the booking not the guests.
The discount is applied on check- out and the establishment will be reimbursed by the regional tourism department.
More information can be found at: www. turismecv. com/ como- funciona- el- bono- viaje- cv
Tourism secretary, Francesc Colomer said there had been 1,000 applications submitted within the first hour of the system going live.
They were ‘ admitting registrations little by little’ and he called for people to be patient.
Two telephone lines have been set up to resolve doubts and give information – 96 099 27 78 and 96 099 27 79.