Tourism resurgence anticipated for the second half of 2021

Thursday 25th March 2021 | PRESS RELEASE; translation MIKE SMITH

The regional minister for Tourism, Francesc Colomer has said that he is anticipating that they second half of 2021 could be one of “the resurgence and the return of tourism” but also conditioned to the “health situation and the rate of vaccination“.

He explained that the first half of 2021, which includes Easter, is expected to be very complicated and difficult but suggested that the second half of the year, when the health situation should be improving along with the continuation of the vaccination campaign, may when when “people want to travel” which would be good news for the region’s tourism sector.

And with regards to the approaching Easter period, he said that “we must maintain the principle of prudence and await a situation where it is possible to recover the ability to compete in the market and overcome the situation”.

In this sense, he explained that “this Easter we must maintain the principle of prudence and await a situation where it is possible to recover the ability to compete in the market and overcome the situation, adding that the current best policy in the world, both economic and humanitarian, is to “vaccinate, vaccinate and vaccinate” so that there can be a confident recovery in tourism.

The head of Tourism also spoke about a proposal made this Tuesday by the HOSBEC hotel association to list the perimeter restrictions between autonomous communities by paying hotels to give the tests that guarantee that travellers are virus-free. He explained that “it’s a proposal that deserves respect and I consider to be plausible” adding that it would be something that would allow the region to test the ability to live with the virus and the problems of a post-COVID world.

With respect to vaccination passports, he explained that it is something that is “on the table” and that the problem is not travelling, but rather getting infected whilst travelling without realising it.

Viatgem CV Programme

Colomer stressed that the Viatgem CV voucher initiative has been working “reasonably well” and has helped to revitalise internal tourism within the Comunidad Valenciana at a time when the sector needs it most.

He explained that more than 3,000 vouchers have been activated this week and that more than 20,000 vouchers have been issued since the intitiative was launched. He added that he considers that the scheme has helped mitigate the worst effects for accommodation as well as complementary activities (sports, cycling, active tourism, culture, and gastronomy).

He revealed that the possibility of extending the initiative into 2021 has been considered during a meeting with the sector this week.

Support for Controlled Festivals

The head of Tourism has also shown his support for initiatives aimed at organising low-density music festivals in the region, such as that hosted in Benicàssim. He said that “guaranteeing safety at festivals seems to me to be n interesting working hypothesis” since they are a first-rate tourism product which is reflected in the region’s Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Law and that they have “every right in the world to look at options“.

In this sense, he announced that a delegation from Tourism, Health and the festival sector will attend a pilot concert in Barcelona – Festivals por la Cultura – to assess their experiences of organizing a safe festival with all the necessary health protocols guaranteed to meet the current situation. The concert will be attended by a maximum of 5,000 people at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona and aims to establish a new protocol for holding events in the current climate. FFP2 masks will be provided by the organisers and mass testing will be carried out on the same day.

Presentation of a new magazine ‘Castelló Mola’

Francesc Colomer made his statements after closing the presentation of the new magazine ‘Castelló Mola’ which is published by the School of Hospitality and Tourism in Castelló.

Information Source
Press Release – Generalitat Valenciana