Health must come first to save Benidorm tourism and the prestige and reputation of the Costa Blanca brand, mayor says

BENIDORM mayor Toni Perez insisted that any reactivation of tourism had to guarantee heath safety.
He was talking during an online meeting with Aragon business association, ADEA, which was also attended by the mayor of Torremolinos, Jose Ortiz, a member of the Sun and Beaches Tourist Municipalities Association, AMT, which Perez currently presides.
“The Spanish brand must at all costs avoid contagion linked to tourist activity because this would be a brutal setback for its prestige and reputation,” Perez said.
“Until the Covid-19 threat disappears, health safety must override any public or private decision relating to tourism, over and above other considerations, including economic factors.”
The mayor revealed that AMT has passed on to Spain’s Tourism minister, Reyes Maroto, its proposals to avoid the “destruction” of the network of businesses, employment and social development that tourism represents.
The ERTE furlough scheme should be extended up to 12 months with discounted social security payments, increased protection for employees on permanent seasonal contracts and tax breaks so that the sector can maintain its millions of jobs, Perez said.