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ARCHIVED - 50 per cent of Costa Blanca summer package holidays already sold by British tour operators
The Valencia region's hotel employers' association Hosbec predicts a recovery of tourism from February
There's an unmistakable air of optimism amongst the Costa Blanca tourist sector's representatives at the Fitfur tourism fair in Madrid this week with high hopes for the spring and summer season.
In fact, the Valencia region's hotel employers' association Hosbec predicts a recovery of tourism from February, particularly in light of the fact that British tour operators attending the huge international annual event estimate that 50% of summer package holidays - from May to October - have already been sold.
"All reports confirm the trend towards recovery by the end of February", said Hosbec sources.
And this optimism is shared by manager of Visit Benidorm, Leire Bilbao, who confirmed that sector experts agree "that the reactivation of the industry is likely" from March, provided the health situation is brought under control.
In terms of the domestic market, "every flight that goes on sale will be sold", Hosbec predicts. But for the international market, its estimated there could be 20% fewer seats sold by the end of the year, due in part to the fact there has been less mobility over the last six weeks.
One of the main turning points is the UK Government's relaxation of restrictions.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday January 19 that most of the coronavirus restrictions will be lifted from January 26, once again opening up Britons' travel opportunities.
A study carried out by Benidorm-based Invattur, which analyses the trends of the most popular destinations in the Valencia region, shows that online searches for holidays on the Costa Blanca skyrocketed following the announcement.
And Hosbec has warned that the Spanish Government must do the same and remove "all visitor obstacles". At the moment, fully vaccinated children are not allowed to enter the country.
"Many of these minors only received their first dose in December, and therefore still have to wait for the second", explained Hosbec president, Toni Mayor, adding: "The fewer obstacles we put in the way of tourism, the better".
With regards to scrapping the Covid passport, Mayor stressed that "as the number of infections decreases", Hosbec is "in favour" of its elimination "because it has not managed to stop this latest wave".
This may be of interest: How to book a Covid vaccine in Spain and How to get a Covid passport in Spain
Image: Archive
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