By Tara Rippin • Published: 25 May 2020 • 17:28
ALDO TORRECILLA, of Spanish online travel Destinia, said “we monitored searches and hotel reservations for the five hours following the announcement by PM (on Saturday) of the opening of tourism in Spain.”
And the company detected an increase of 142 per cent in Spanish hotel searches between 2pm and 7pm after Sanchez’s midday appearance. This is compared to the same period last week.
During his speech, the PM encouraged the Spanish and expats in Spain “to plan their holidays now,” assuring there will be a “tourist season this summer.”
And he advised tourist establishments to be ready to “resume their activity in a few days,” adding that from July, Spain will “resume the entry of foreign tourists in safety.”
Destinia said Sanchez’s words have had a significant effect on searches and hotel reservations in the country, resulting in an “unusual increase” since the State of Alarm was declared on March 14.
Destinations which have seen the biggest interest are Benidorm, Salou, Peniscola, Lloret de Mar, Torremolinos, Cambrils, Benalmadena, Gandia, Mojacar, Santa Susana, Calella and Puerto de la Cruz.
In addition to beach hotels, there has also been an increase in the search for rural hotels.
General Director of Destinia, Ricardo Fernández, this is “very positive” news for the tourism industry, pointing out it sends an international message that Spain wants to maintain its position as a favourite holiday destination.
He added “it conveys peace of mind to the public as a whole about the coming months: we will have summer and we will be able to travel.”
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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.
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