Benidorm, the first national destination visited by the new Secretary of State for Tourism

Benidorm has been the first national tourist destination that the new Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés, visits institutionally since he took office in mid-July. Upon his arrival in Benidorm, Valdés was received at the City Hall by the mayor, Toni Pérez, with whom he had a meeting and visited the 'Smart Office', where the usage and management data of the municipal public services. In addition to the mayor, they have accompanied Valdés, the regional secretary of Tourism, Francesc Colomer; the delegate and sub-delegate of the Government in the Valencian Community and Alicante, Gloria Isabel Calero and Araceli Poblador; the president of Segittur, Enrique Martínez; the general director of Tourism of the Generalitat, Herick Campos; and the manager of Visit Benidorm, Leire Bilbao.

The mayor explained that the objective of this visit is to “analyze the circumstances” and “everything that we have been through” to determine “what goals and objectives we have to continue working to maintain the tourist positioning of Benidorm and the Valencian Community and Spain brands. "And to" be prepared for the day after "the pandemic.

Likewise, he stressed that tourism is "our main industry", as well as the engine of "generation of social development and sustainability of an entire country", and highlighted the work done to redefine Benidorm as "a Smart + Safe Tourist Destination" and to "better adapt to circumstances" that are marked by "uncertainty" and by seasonality, which in the city had been overcome for decades. Toni Pérez pointed out that Benidorm is at the service of tourism and the rest of the administrations to contribute and seek joint solutions to the current situation.

For his part, the Secretary of State has assured that "it is a real pride" that his first institutional visit was to Benidorm, which "is a reference for Spain, for the Valencian Community and for all international tourist flows" for “the effort” made by the administrations and the citizens themselves to “turn” the town “into a safe, sustainable destination, capable of adapting to the new conditions and situations required not only by Covid-19, but also by new trends associated with tourism ”.

Following the same line expressed by the mayor, Valdés has stressed that it is “fundamental that in a difficult moment such as the current one for tourism and for the whole of society we are together, sharing challenges, analyzes and challenges, and involving all administrations and the sector in a collaborative way ”to“ face ”the present and“ the recovery and transformation phase that we want to begin to become a reality as soon as possible ”. In this sense, it has advanced that the Government of Spain is working "together with partner countries of the EU and important issuers such as the United Kingdom in Benidorm, to seek alternatives to quarantines and travel restrictions that have gone establishing ”and thus reactivate international mobility. Vera, has stated, that Benidorm is going to be one of the beneficiary destinations of this "dialogue".

Beach management system

During his visit to Benidorm and before meeting with the tourism sector in Invat · tur, the Secretary of State for Tourism has described as "exceptional" the system of management with which "the enjoyment of the beaches" of the city, since the reopening of the sandy areas on June 15. Valdés has advocated "putting in value at an international level" this system of planning and management of the beaches, and "projecting these solutions in other environments that will surely be delighted to learn everything that has been done" in Benidorm.