The Asociación Empresarial Hostelera de Benidorm (Hotel Business Association of Benidorm), Costa Blanca and Valencia, Hosbec, expects the reopening of 30% or 40% of its establishments for next Easter, provided that the downward trend in the evolution of the pandemic in the province of Alicante persists.
The president of the group, Toni Mayor, has stressed in statements to Europa Press that the figures of recent days have experienced “an accelerated decline in the number of new cases” and therefore have opened “a door to hope” in the sector, albeit in a “cautious” way.
“With the drop in infections in recent days we have begun to hope that in three or four weeks the levels may be at 50 or 100 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and this would make it possible to lift the perimeter confinements, regional closures and therefore we could reopen some part of the hotel sector at Easter,” he said.
Mayor explains that in this case, “and in the best optimistic scenario”, the opening of the hotel sector would be similar to that which took place in June last year, “barely 30% or 40% of the places, preparing to have occupancies of between 50% or 60% and counting only on the national market”.
As far as the international market is concerned, the president indicated that tour operators such as Jet2 and Thompson have already postponed the recovery of activity until mid-April.
Similarly, he insisted that, in the event of reopening, security and responsibility measures must be “scrupulously” complied with, with a “toughening of sanctions for those who do not comply” in order to avoid “a relaxation and a possible fourth wave that would ruin the summer”.
