Andalucia & Costa del Sol plan to get tourism back on its feet as soon as Spain’s lockdown ends, hinting that hotels could open in June

The Andalucian Government is planning to invest 243 million euros on the tourism sector and spend around 2.25 million euros on promoting the region to kick start tourism. Credit: Shutterstock

Andalucia and Costa del Sol have confirmed they are working on an emergency plan to get tourism back on its feet as soon as Spain’s lockdown ends.

“WE are working on a plan to open certain activity in May,” stated the Regional Minister for Tourism in Andalucia, Juan Marín. “Hotels could open in June,” although “progress will be governed by the national State of Alarm restrictions,” he added.

Marín confirmed that Andalucia is planning its own emergency recovery, in the absence of a central government plan. The government’s recent announcement that the tourism sector would potentially have to wait until the end of the year to open was met with huge criticism, not just in Andalucia, but state-wide.

According to Marín, Andalucia has already lost out on a whopping €4.7 billion of tourism income for the months between March and May 2020, and the sector simply can’t afford to wait until the end of the year to open and recuperate losses.

“No tourism business can go 10 months without income,” confirmed Miguel Sánchez, representing the tourism firms at the Andalucian Business Confederation. “They won’t get through this,” he pointed out.

Marín’s emergency plan includes employment incentives, credit and liquidity plans for businesses, as well as tax incentives to help kick start the region’s tourism sector. The regional government is planning to invest around €243 million on the tourism sector. Marín also indicated that he plans to spend around a €2.25 million on tourism campaigns to promote the region.

Yesterday, Andalucia’s President Juanma Moreno also confirmed that the regional government is preparing a de-escalation plan and analysis of which areas in the region can have lockdown restrictions removed first. Moreno hinted that municipalities or towns that have recorded no coronavirus cases may have their restrictions lifted first, although he did not name specific areas.

 

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Pepi Sappal

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