The Territorial Director of the Imserso in Melilla, Verónica Aznar, explained in an interview on Radio Nacional de España the details of the beginning of the 2025-2026 season of the trips of the Imserso, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Aznar recalled that the two great novelties of this edition – the flat rate of 50 euros for pensioners with fewer resources and the possibility of traveling with pets – “respond to the objective of Imserso to continue working for active aging and adapt to a population of older people that is changing, which demands new destinations, new forms of leisure and new ways of relating”.

“These leisure trips are not only about leisure, but also about the aging of social, interpersonal and interterritorial relationships, because they are getting to know each other and establishing contact networks,” he stressed.

Staggered deadlines and reservation system

Aznar has clarified that in Melilla reservations began yesterday, October 8, within a timetable staggered by autonomous communities. “The trips of the Imserso are staggered in different days because everything goes to a reservation center. If all communities started the process on the same day, the system would collapse,” he explained.

According to him, there are currently 4.6 million people accredited to the program, so the dates are distributed according to the census of people over 65 and the number of places per community.

“Melillenses must be reassured: although certain communities began on the 6th, this does not affect the allocation that Melilla has in the trips of the Imserso,” he said.

Preferred and non-preferred criteria

The Territorial Director explained how these first two days of booking work, “the first day is established for preferential accreditations and the second day for non-preferential ones,” she said. This scale is carried out according to criteria such as income, disability or if the person has traveled previously.

“It does not mean that the non-preferential will not travel, but the first day they choose the preferential and the second day, the others, still with many options,” he said. Once the ordinary deadlines have been completed, starting on October 11, the general quota is opened, where all accredited persons can request travel.

Aznar also explained that “there are elderly people who travel two, three or four times with the Imserso” and that, on this occasion, from the second trip, a supplement of 100 euros is applied. “Even so, we talk about 10-day trips, with travel, full board, leisure activities and medical assistance for about 300 or 400 euros,” he said.

More balanced distribution of seats

The head of the Imserso in the city stressed that this year the distribution of the squares “is much more equitable”. In total, 879,213 places are offered, divided between the peninsular coast, the insular coast (Balearic and Canary Islands) and getaway tourism, which includes destinations such as Melilla.

“On this occasion, the seats have risen and have been better distributed among all destinations. In the first year of the program, 16,000 people traveled; now there are more than 880,000,” he said.

A program that evolves with its users

During the interview, Aznar stressed that the Imserso program “is still alive and in constant improvement”, incorporating changes that meet the demands of users.

“Three years ago, those asking for a single room had to pay twice as much. Now you only pay a small supplement. These are improvements that increase the quality and flexibility of the program,” he said.

He also insisted that the new tariff system “seeks to ensure that no one is left out for economic reasons.” “We could not skew on the amount, even if the trip is subsidized and the cost is symbolic,” he said.

On the new reduced rate, he has detailed that there are 7,500 places nationwide for people who receive a non-contributory pension for retirement or disability equal to or less than the established one.

“They will be able to opt for that fee of 50 euros, a plus that the Imserso puts so that they can make the trips and no one is left without enjoying important moments,” he explained.