While hundreds of resorts and hotels remain empty on the southern Spanish coast during the coronavirus lockdown, tourist boards and local councils in the area are working on plans to reassure the industry that visitors will be back amidst economic uncertainty and to give visitors peace of mind that they will be safe.
The tourism industry generates billions of euros of revenue every year thanks to holiday makers and expats with holiday homes in the southern region of Spain. The lack of activity in the sector and the potential aftereffects are therefore issues of great concern for tourism professionals who are calling for support in attracting tourists back to the area after the crisis.
A safe holiday destination
Tourists and expats will undoubtedly prioritise the safety of a destination when deciding on their next holiday. However, with no date or indication of when the COVID-19 crisis will end and when these first escapes can be planned, Andalusia is clear that the challenge is to position itself as a safe destination for holidaymakers and to do so following a protocol that the vice president of Regional Government of Andalusia, Juan Marín, believes should be national. "It cannot be that in each community different rules and regulations are established to ensure the safety of tourists.”
Marín warns that nothing will be the same in tourism after this crisis. The situation may become rather changeable, but he emphasises that the most valued asset will be that of being a safe destination. The vice president believes that Andalusia will reposition itself in the markets under this banner and ensures that Andalusia is in a better position than other areas. This image of security will contribute to the health management that is taking place in the current health crisis in which the region provides better data than other parts of Spain.
Protection measures
A first draft plan already approved by the Andalusian government includes aid for the implementation of protection systems in hotels and restaurants which cost around 1,400 euros. In this sense, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism in Spain, Reyes Maroto agrees that these measures are necessary and that "what we have to give is security, and certainty, that popular destinations, such as Spain, are safe destinations and gradually recover the volume of tourists that we saw before the health crisis paralysed Spain and Europe”. In order keep Spain as a priority destination for tourists, additional protection measures such as establishing regulations regarding distances on beaches may be considered, as well as health passports via a mobile app which have been successful in countries like South Korea.
Costa del Sol campaigns
In their own bids to reassure the industry and tourists alike, several tourist boards in the Costa del Sol have already launched their own campaigns of hope in the midst of the health crisis. Visit Costa del Sol and the Torremolinos tourism department are leading the way thanking tourism professionals for their hard work and solidarity during this challenging period. Turismo Costa del Sol also expresses sincere gratitude to local residents for staying at home and to the health professionals who are working tirelessly to look after those infected with the disease. In Torremolinos, the tourism department’s primary aim is to help local businesses recover from the devastating consequences of national lockdown, the campaign showing confidence that tourists will soon return when this confinement period is over with the hashtag #NosVemosPronto (see you soon).