The vaccines will mark the next tourist season of summer. Unlike what happened a year ago, where tourist destinations were in similar situations around the world, now there are arguments to differentiate themselves and to compete.
Those who are able to stand at the gates of the season with better ratios vaccination, but above all transmit safety health care to the source markets and their respective governments, will be the ones to capitalize on a global tourism market eager for vacations and disconnection from pandemic. In what position are destinations such as Golden Coast O Terres de l’Ebre?
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Xavier Guardià, spokesman for the Business Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of the province of Tarragona (FEHT), a federation that before the outbreak of the pandemic generated up to 22,400 jobs from its associates in the Tarragona district, explains that “we come so much from misery that anything is better.”
“On the one hand,” says Guardià, “we are hopeful and optimistic, but considering what happened last year, we are distressed that something similar to when the French said [a sus ciudadanos] they better not come, or the English saying that we would have to be in quarantine ».
“The competition this summer is going to be where I have the highest level of health confidence” José Luis Zoreda. Vice President of Exceltur
“This year we know more about the virus, we have a vaccine and everything is more positive”, highlights Guardià, who recognizes that this fact introduces new elements, determining factors for some destinations. José Luis Zoreda, Executive Vice President of Exceltur, a business association in the tourism sector with more than 220,000 direct employees around the world, explains it: “More important than welcoming tourists with open arms is how they will be received when they return to their countries.” .
“As we are not going to even jokingly reach the famous 70% of the vaccinated population before summer -reason-, the question now is to see what level of confidence is achieved to come to Spain, both due to the rate of vaccinated and the incidence of contagions, and what are the restrictions on the return.
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The example is the system of classification in the form of a traffic light that the UK, where the destinations in ‘Red‘are clearly discouraged, while the difference between being ‘amber’ or ‘green’ can clearly dictate a displacement decision.
While for destinations in ‘amber‘proof is required PCR on departure, another on return and between five and ten days of confinement once returned to the country of origin, in all those classified as’verde‘It will only be necessary for those UK citizens to accredit a PCR to the east and another to the return.
The FEHT trusts that this year the tourism sector of Costa Daurada and Terres de l’Ebre will reach between 60% and 65% of the activity of 2019, with 2020 to forget.
Faced with the prospect that, after returning from a vacation in the Foreign, you have to save quarantine (even if the PCR has been negative) or normal life can be made, the destination classified in ‘green’ will have many more arguments to compete than the ‘amber’. Today, Spain is found in ‘amber‘in the UK ranking, although the tourism sector trusts that this change before kicking off with the high summer season.
For this change in perception to take place, transmitting confidence to the respective governments and economic agents (tour operators, agencies …) is key. In the case of the member states of the European Union, the relative homogeneity of the vaccination ratios among their population (as a consequence of the centralized purchase and equitable distribution of vaccines by the European Commission) does not predict great differences.
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To this must be added the Certificate Digital Green of the European Union, which except for very limited emergency scenarios should ensure the mobility no restrictions from European citizens all over the space Schengen.
But when we stop thinking about markets issuers such as French, German or Dutch and is expanding to other markets very relevant for destinations like Golden Coast, as they are the British or the Russian, the global competition is vindicated. Destinations like Turkey, a direct competitor of the Costa Daurada in the Russian sun and beach market, have decided to play the health card strong.
The tourism sector points to the year 2022 as the first of a certain recovery, with a transitional 2021 after the 2020 disaster.
Vaccine Marketing
“In addition to the percentage of the vaccinated population and the incidence rate of infections,” explains José Luis Zoreda, from Exceltur, “there is a third factor: having all personnel in contact with tourists vaccinated. In the Dominican Republic, this week they have begun to vaccinate all personnel who are at any point of contact with a tourist, from the airport to the hotel, passing through the taxi driver.
“This is something – continues the executive vice president of Exceltur – that they are playing in Turkey or in Greece, with some of their islands. And they tell you: ‘When you arrive in Mykonos, you will find that the entire population of the island will already be vaccinated.’ This competition for destination safety is going to be key this summer. And if we take time to establish clear rules, it will be chaos.
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“If the United Kingdom and Russia – Xavier Guardià, FEHT spokesman agrees -, which are important markets for us, go well with vaccination, it would be very sad if they could leave their country and, due to the fact that we are not sufficiently vaccinated, go to Turkey because they are more vaccinated.
“The competition this summer – adds José Luis Zoreda, from Exceltur – will be where I have the highest level of health confidence, and then bring the least dissuasive administrative measures.” It will be a tough competition, but he is confident: «Turkey has to show you that it has better health control than Salou or Gandia. He has to put a lot of cards on the table to match himself.
“It would be very sad if the United Kingdom or Russia could leave and go to Turkey because they are more vaccinated” Xavier Guardià. FEHT Spokesperson
“We trust – Xavier Guardià, from FEHT – assures us in the health system, and that it will work. Last year we lost 70% of our activity compared to 2019. Now we think that we will be around a 40% decrease compared to that same 2019, with which we will work in the range of between 60% and 65% of the last year before the pandemic. That could put the year 2021 on the calendar, after a 2020 to forget, and it would bring us some work normality, with 2021 as the transition year between the disaster of 2020 and a 2022 of certain normality ».
“In other circumstances – he adds – we would have already started the season with the Russian tour operators, and now we would have German and Dutch seniors in the campsites. But I think everyone will try to open: one year closed is a bad harvest, but two years closed already points to misery. Everyone will make an effort to open, as little as possible.
“The Spanish tourism sector – concludes José Luis Zoreda, from Exceltur – cannot afford a puncture one more summer. We are going to see if we are able to take a percentage “.
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