The dana had a direct impact on the hospitality sector, damaging hotel establishments in the 76 affected municipalities of the province of Valencia. “A specific sector, which must receive specific aid and, therefore, the Government of Spain needed an alliance with the private sector in the field of hospitality to know the specific casuistry”, said the delegate of the Government, Pilar Bernabé during the meeting held with the Hospitality Business Federation.
Currently, the situation of more than 1,000 hotel establishments has been evaluated to calculate the magnitude of the damage. Pilar Bernabé assures that “the Government of Spain is going to carry out aid through the Ministry of Industry and Tourism worth 200 M€ in interest-free loans to be repaid in ten years”.
The Secretary of State for Tourism has promoted an agreement that states that it is the sector itself that coordinates the different aid of the Government of Spain for the tourism sector affected through a single window, managed by the Business Federation of Hospitality of Valencia.
The Secretary of State for Tourism collaborates with the Valencia Hospitality Business Federation for direct contact with companies, which will allow to promote a project that will allow to expand the effectiveness and impact of the actions being implemented to counteract the effects of the dana in the tourism sector, considering the difficulties arising from the average size of the affected companies. These businesses are very important spaces for the recovery of social normality and support, in terms of employment, a high number of families in the territory.
OBJECTIVES OF THE AID
First, an analysis of the hotel and tourism establishments located in the 76 municipalities affected by the dana in the province of Valencia is being addressed. The work already begun allows to analyze in detail the affectation of each of the establishments.
The initial analysis identified 3,238 hotel and tourism establishments located in the most affected areas. From this initial census, a detailed analysis of the damages and needs, according to the type of establishments, is initiated, which will allow to contrast whether the design of the aid covers the totality of the needs generated and to design new support programs. To date, more than 1,000 establishments have been analysed in detail, with initial losses estimated at around €60 million.
Secondly, work is being done to generate communication materials that identify the type of aid, its requirements and processing points, following the clear language guidelines of the European Commission and ISO (ISO 24495 on clear language).
Given the diversity of aid and the specificity of the sector to which it is directed, various materials have been developed that allow us to understand them.
Thirdly, we are working on the design of mechanisms to address more agile and coordinated responses to future crisis situations affecting the hospitality sector.