“Five weeks ago it was busier with bookings than now, there are still people who do not dare,” says Willem van der Jagt, who together with his wife Saskia has Eetcafé Pinocchio in Benidorm, on the Spanish coast.
He says he gets ‘a lot’ of cancellations. The number is even increasing. “There is a certain fear of going here,” he says.
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As a result, he now only has between 28 and 40 eaters a day, while before corona there were 80 to 150. “I think July and August are going to be two bad months.”
More infections again
On the Map of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the entire mainland of Spain is now orange. This means that it is advised to only make necessary trips to the country.
Conversely, the number of corona infections in the Netherlands is increasing rapidly. On the latest corona map of the Netherlands, which will be determined on Tuesday, several regions are at the highest alarm level. The situation in our country is very serious.
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‘Bookings stopped immediately’
“The moment the infections rose again, you could immediately notice that. Holidaymakers no longer booked immediately,” says Hans Schellekens. Together with his wife Anne-Loes he has bed & breakfast Casa Agradable, in the mountains near Málaga.
The number of cancellations is fortunately not too bad, but he is afraid that they will increase if the situation does not improve quickly. “Guests who have booked for the coming weeks do come with questions.”
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Full in September and October
For July and August, the number of bookings for Casa Agradable is only 40 percent of the level before corona. Remarkably enough, the rooms for September and October are fully booked.
“Perhaps guests think that more people have been vaccinated then, so that the risk is smaller that the number of infections is still so high,” Schellekens suggests.
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He hopes that the number of bookings will increase further. “Otherwise it will be very difficult for us. And to think that we have been here for 13 years, new colleagues probably have it even more difficult than we do. The number of bookings has been recovering in the last six weeks, but the past two weeks have that recovery is declining.”
‘Last summer ran into the water’
“In Spain we are all with trembling knees to see whether the summer will be a problem or not,” adds Rigtmar Brandenburg. He is co-owner of Baja Bikes, which organizes bike tours in 22 Spanish cities.
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“Last year ran in the water all summer. I hope it doesn’t happen again this year, but it seems like a serious risk.” He sees a brighter picture for his own organization, because Baja Bikes is also active in other cities in Europe, which could provide compensation.
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Despite the increasing number of infections in Spain, Brandenburg is not afraid that the country will sharpen the requirements for Dutch tourists. “Spain needs tourists. You should not underestimate how much tourism means to the country.”
‘We get nothing from the government’
Of course, this also applies to entrepreneurs. Last year, tourism took a hit. “Back then there were even fewer guests than now, there were days when we only had two or four guests throughout the day,” explains café owner Van der Jagt.
Now it’s ‘scraping everything together’ for him. “No luxury things and a good connection with the bank, which wants to provide a loan. Entrepreneurs in Spain receive nothing from the government.”
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