Hoteliers in Spain are facing up to the reality of the "de-escalation" plan proposed by the government in a bid to return to normal after the coronavirus pandemic. The trade union of hotels and tourist accommodation, Gremi d'Hotels de Barcelona, has described the reopening plan proposed by Spain as "outrageous", because reopening the establishments in the terms it proposes leads them to an "economic and employment disaster".
In a statement, the union said the plan "does not resolve the essential aspects of the revival of hotel activity" like the request for extension "of the force majeure reasons applicable to the ERTE (temporary lay off)" during the six months following the end of the state of alarm.
"Measures provided for in this plan, such as not allowing inter-provincial travel or keeping borders closed, will cause establishments to be empty, resulting in an extremely serious and unsustainable economic and employment situation that will not make it possible to maintain the workforce," the union spokesperson also added.
Therefore, they are asking the government to take "brave, clear, concrete and generous measures to rescue the sector" given the importance "that the tourism industry has in the country's GDP.
The trade union for accommodation in Barcelona has joined the disappointment expressed by the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (Confederación Española de Hoteles y Alojamientos Turísticos, CEHAT) because they consider that the plan "has totally ignored the basic needs that the hotel sector had repeatedly raised in recent weeks to promote a process of reopening with guarantees.
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