Strong national market and less crowds key factors for kickstarting tourism in lockdown de-escalation in Spain’s Costa Almeria

THE Costa Almeria is pinning its hopes on its well established Spanish market and its appeal as an uncrowded holiday destination to kickstart the tourism sector in the new age of social distancing, as and when a lockdown de-escalation means a relaxation on restrictions on movement.
ASHAL Almeria business association president Diego Garcia told Spanish press he believed Almeria has a certain advantage over other European destinations given that “our visitors are mainly national, who what’s more come back year after year.”
Garcia also pointed out that the province offers a less “mass crowd” kind of tourism than other coastal destinations, heightening its appeal now that keeping a safe distance from others has become a part of everyday life.
The president of the ASEMPAL provincial business confederation is of much the same view.
Jose Cano believes Almeria could be the starting point for the State of Alarm de-escalation, and not only because the rates of Covid-19 infection in the province have been relatively low.
He too is reported as highlighting the fact that 70 per cent of visitors to Almeria are Spanish and that the province tends not have concentrations of mass throngs of tourists as in some destinations in regions like the Costa Blanca and the Costa del Sol.
The province’s hotels have expectations of being allowed to reopen their doors to guests this summer. But despite the optimism that there could be a reactivation of tourism in Almeria in the not too distant future, the head of ASHAL has made clear his opinion that the hospitality sector should only get going again when there is a clear protocol in place governing under what conditions.
This refers to matters like health and safety measures, whether clients can be offered dining options, the use of swimming pools, gyms and other facilities, and the use of air-conditioning.