MADRID – Hoteliers want the same corona measures across the country to make travel easier and more attractive. Small and medium-sized Spanish hotels are looking forward to the summer with some optimism. However, they are still concerned about the period after the State of Alarm.
They fear that after May 9, when the State of Alert officially expires, chaos will ensue. To prevent this, measures across the country must be carefully coordinated. Meaning each autonomous region cannot draw up its own restrictive measures. Travelling for Spaniards in their own country must be made attractive in anticipation of the return of international tourism.
For Victoria López, director of the Fedola group of 5 hotels in the Canary Islands, it is very important that the 17 autonomous communities in Spain agree on the same measures and not take each their own decisions. In the Canary Islands “we missed the summer of 2020 and the winter of 2020-21. Therefore, we must have at least one summer of 2021. However, even if it will be bad compared to normal summers, gives us a little hope”, López said to EfeTur.
Significant revival in reservations at Spanish hotels for winter season
One hotel of the chain has already opened. Three more hotels will be added in the summer. Nevertheless, the strategy is aimed at the winter season of 2021-2022. Because a significant revival in reservations has been registered for this period.
The Managing Director of Port Hotels (with hotels on the Costa Blanca and in the city of Valencia), Rafael Blanquer, emphasises the most important thing at the moment is that “our organisations are agile with a very high adaptability”. People are willing to get started as soon as the opportunity arises. The chain has been able to keep a hotel in Elche (Alicante) open since June last year. This is thanks to the football teams that reside there, after Elche Club de Fútbol moved to the first division.
“We don´t really expect anything major until September”
Blanquer foresees that “with a bit of luck” his hotel group will be able to open “some” in May. And that the national market will pick up more in June and the international market from July. “But we don’t really expect anything major until September”.
Agustí Codina, director of Med Playa (with hotels on the Costa Brava, Costa de Maresme, Salou, Benidorm, Costa del Sol and Costa del Mar Negro), is optimistic about the summer. “I see that we are already at the end of the crisis”. The beginning of the recovery will not be black or white, according to Codina. But rather will involve a grey transition area. An area that should be kept as short as possible in time.
More money through savings during pandemic
The hotel chain is particularly dependent on British tourism in some coastal areas. As such, the Director believes that, in addition to vaccination, an important factor is that during all months of the pandemic, holidaymakers have been unable to spend on holidays. Therefore, there is money saved up as a result. According to him, for example, in the UK this amounts to €208.6billion.
