Tourist apartment association on Spain’s Costa Blanca estimates just 30% occupancy this summer

The tourist apartment association for the Valencian Community, Aptur, estimates this particular type of holiday accommodation will see just 30 per cent occupancy this summer.

ITS president on the Costa Blanca, Miguel Ángel Sotillos, said the figure varies according to each tourist area, but this is an overall average estimation from the reservations made so far for the July and August.

He said “the decline is more acute with respect to international tourism, since the choice of Valencia as a holiday destination this summer is incredibly low and testimonial compared to last year.”

Aptur said businesses are ready to start the season, having carried out cleaning and disinfection processes to make sure its accommodations meet the government requirements.

But they said two factors will have a huge impact on the summer season – quarantines and international flight restrictions.

In addition, Aptur said issues surrounding beaches is a concern. While the association accepts that capacity controls and restricted hours are necessary, “they are a problem when trying to attract tourists.”

And then there are regulations on community swimming pools, which in Phase 2 have a capacity of 30 per cent and for Phase 3, 50 per cent, “a protocol that for private buildings is very difficult to implement.”

As a result, many of them remain closed.

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Tara Rippin

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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