PALMA – The Balearic Islands are doing everything they can to be classified a ‘safe tourist destination’. To save the summer season, the islands are offering a free repatriation insurance policy.
The Regional Ministry of Tourism is launching a ‘roadmap’ to enhance the Balearic Islands’ image as a safe holiday destination. The goal is to convey confidence to the main tourist markets, Germany and the United Kingdom.
How the tourist pie is distributed this summer will be more controversial than ever, according to Diario de Mallorca. The British contribution is likley to be noticeable due to its absence. This would be a great loss for the islands as the British are the second largest group of tourists.
In Great Britain, the Spain brand is not (yet) really good in this respect. For the time being, Spain is amber in the Covid risk traffic light. There is a small chance London will rate the islands separately, but that is not the case as of now.
At the moment, the Balearic Minister of Tourism, Iago Negueruela, has come up with an asset: “A roadmap” based on safety for visitors and workers associated with the sector.
Free repatriation insurance
The Balearics presented the ‘Safety Pack’, defined as “an all-encompassing package for tourism safety”. It includes current information about the pandemic as well as health insurance. The insurance covers free repatriation for tourists (national or international) who stay in regulated accommodation on any of the islands should they become infected with covid.
The insurance is paid for by the Autonomous Community through the Agency for Strategic Tourism (Aetib). The same applies to ‘Covid hotels’ set up on all islands this season to accommodate infected tourists.
Test for employees
Complementing the safety of the Balearic Islands as a tourist destination are maximum prices for PCR and antigen tests. A decree law passed last Friday regulates the prices.
While the hotel industry unsuccessfully demanded that workers receive priority for vaccination, workers can voluntarily undergo covid testing.
Workplace safety and protection measures have also been updated to prevent Covid contamination in hotels, tourist rental properties, restaurants, shops and transportation.
The government will first ‘sell’ the Safety Pack in Berlin, where President Francina Armengol and Negueruela travelled today. Next week, they head to the Fitur holiday fair. The idea is to promote the Balearic Islands as easier to visit than other Mediterranean destinations. In turn, they hope the issuing markets agree to allow holidays on the islands so people book holidays between June and September.
