Tourism Minister to ‘reposition’ Spain so international holidaymakers view country as a ‘safe’ destination

Spain’s Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Reyes Maroto has confirmed today that she is ‘repositioning’ Spain so “international holidaymakers continue to choose us as a destination” because it’s considered to be a safe country with a low-coronavirus risk.

SPEAKING at the Future Tourism Forum organised by El Diario Sur, Maroto reiterated, that reactivating tourism is not a race or “about being first”. “We have reached an epidemiological situation that, for the moment, is controlled. However, the decisions we make in the coming days must be based on rigorous data, so that we do not put Spain in a situation that we don’t want to return to,” she stated.

Maroto added that it’s vital to “restore confidence not just in tourists planning to visit Spain, but the country’s residents too”. “Covid-19 has changed everything, and that is why we have to ensure that we have the right security protocols as well as good practices and guidelines, to reinforce the image of Spain, so it can be labelled as a safe destination,” she pointed out. Maroto confirmed that she along with the other tourism ministers of the European Union are currently “spending time thinking about how they can guarantee the safety of both tourists and residents” in their prospective countries.

Other ministers and companies that attended the forum, include Juan Marín, Vice President of the Andalusian Regional Government and Minister of Tourism and Justice; Yaiza Castilla, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism of the Canary Islands; Francesc Colomer, Autonomous Secretary of Valencia’s Generalitat; Miguel Sebastián, an Economist and former minister; and Antonio Catalán, Vice President of AC Hotels by Marriott.