ARCHIVED - Costa Blanca hotels obliged to reserve rooms for isolating tourists
Establishments in the Valencia region that don't provide accommodation for guests who catch Covid face hefty fines.
Valencia region's tourism agency and the Hotel and Tourism Business Association (Hosbec), have launched 'Hospitality Tourism' - a scheme to assist holidaymakers who catch Covid while on vacation and must quarantine.
And hotels, campsites, apartment and tourist accommodations that fail to offer a room for isolation face fines of up to €100.000.
The measure is designed, in principle, for foreign tourists because domestic travellers can return to their own homes, but at the same time guests who test positive cannot be forced to stay.
"The aim is to provide a comprehensive solution with the collaboration and unity of the entire sector in the face of the increase in cases," says Hosbec, adding that to ensure this is the case, hotels must have reserved and isolated spaces for quarantine, or be able to offer an alternative accommodation.
As of this morning (Tuesday, July 20), an agreement has been reached with 800 hotels associated with Hosbec, according to the region's Ministry of Tourism, which has added that "expulsions can only be carried out for just cause, and contracting Covid while staying in the hotel is no one of them".
The regional Secretary of Tourism, Francesc Colomer, explained that the approach to infected tourists has been changed "due to the circumstances", and instead of establishing only certain refuge hotels, the initiative has been expanded "so that all affected tourists can stay isolated in their accommodation".
In this way, he says, "we are extending the network of coverage and security for tourists to the entire regulated accommodation sector", which also includes airport emergencies "so that no infected holidaymaker is left stranded".
The initiative - subsidised by the regional government - covers the transfer to the refuge hotel, if necessary, and full board accommodation for up to 15 days, and "but not respond to direct requests from the affected tourists", they must come through the airports, the accommodation where the affected person is staying or through the Ministry of Health.
IMAGE: Archive