Benidorm beaches packed with holidaymakers on Spain's Costa Blanca a thing of the past until a vaccine is found, warns tourist industry

Andalucia's beaches are patrolled by special agents until September 15 to help avoid overcrowding. CREDIT: Wikimedia

Benidorm beaches packed with holidaymakers on Spain’s Costa Blanca will remain a thing of the past until a vaccine is found, warns the town’s tourist sector.

A REPORT by Visit Benidorm, responsible for promoting the image of the town, states “the images of the Levante beach (for example) overflowing will not be repeated until there is a vaccine. That will be the most important work of all destinations, not just Benidorm, to demonstrate that we are complying with protocols and minimising risks.”
While the tourist information group accepts that busy beaches are “memories many tourists have,” it points out that “due to the health alert and all the measures involved, moments like this will not be repeated.”
Visit Benidorm manager, Leire Bilbao said “the situation of perception of ‘overcrowding’ has changed with the safety distance.”
He added wider spaces now “support” fewer people “and we will have to work on measures, and communication, to minimise the memory of normality, imposing the new normality.
“This is a way of making those who are going to travel understand that the city of skyscrapers is no longer going to be a reality due to the Covid-19.”
Bilbao said for all areas of ‘massification,’ not just Benidorm, “it is very important to do things right, to generate that confidence in the professionalism of companies and the destination.”
Facing the challenge of “promoting the idea of Benidorm as a safe destination to potential travellers in the national market, which is the most likely this summer” Visit Benidorm is developing a series of reports to base the “overall strategy” on.
A recent Growith from Knowledge (GFK) survey shows 69 per cent of Spaniards are determined to travel around the country this summer, with 70 per cent of the national market opting for nearby destinations.
It also indicates that 68 per cent of Spanish prefer destinations “without massification.”
Although international flights are not yet scheduled to return, Visit Benidorm said it continues to monitor the main foreign markets, and noted that around 50 per cent of the tourists who “stop over in the town” arrive from outside Spanish borders.
And he confirmed the majority of these are British.

Author badge placeholder
Written by

Tara Rippin

Tara Rippin is a reporter for Spain’s largest English-speaking newspaper, Euro Weekly News, and is responsible for the Costa Blanca region.
She has been in journalism for more than 20 years, having worked for local newspapers in the Midlands, UK, before relocating to Spain in 1990.
Since arriving, the mother-of-one has made her home on the Costa Blanca, while spending 18 months at the EWN head office in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.
She loves being part of a community that has a wonderful expat and Spanish mix, and strives to bring the latest and most relevant news to EWN’s loyal and valued readers.

Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews

Comments