Acting Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, today announced a government shock plan – especially aimed at the communities of the Canary and Balearic Islands – to limit the effects of the bankruptcy of British global tour operator Thomas Cook in the sector Spanish tourist.

After holding the meeting of the Interministerial Tourism Commission -which representatives from all departments have attended-, the minister highlighted in a press conference the “intense work” developed by the Government since the news was known, and that is specified in this Plan, which "gives a comprehensive response in just one week to a whole range of problems that this crisis has generated."

The plan includes thirteen measures grouped into four sections: air connectivity, liquidity of companies and freelancers, maintenance of employment and recovery of tourism demand. These measures will be articulated through a Royal Decree-Law that will be taken to the Council of Ministers on October 11. The thirteen measures of the plan are:

1. A commercial incentive for AENA rates. Exemption of 100% of the passenger fare on additional seats on international flights operating in the winter season (October 27, 2019 to March 28, 2020) with respect to those scheduled on August 31, 2019. This will be applicable for the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands and represents a reduction of 38% with respect to the total landing and takeoff rate (cost of stopover).

2. Reduction of ENAIRE route rates of more than 12% from January 1, 2020, which will contribute to the acquisition of new airlines.

3. Strengthening the promotion of destinations to attract and retain airlines.

4. Opening of a line of loans of up to 200 million euros for companies and freelancers.

5. Extension of Social Security bonuses in discontinuous fixed contracts to the months of October and December 2019.

6. Opening through the Treasury of the Social Security and its territorial delegations of a window to make available to companies and freelancers information on the procedures available in cases of postponement, moratorium or deferral of quotas, within current regulations.

7. Opening of an informative window of the Tax Agency in its territorial delegations to advise on the procedures available to postpone the payment of certain taxes, within the current regulations.

8. Coordination of support and information measures for the companies affected in the bankruptcy process, in coordination with the autonomous communities.

9. Analysis of current active employment policies to reorient them in order to facilitate and accelerate the relocation of those affected.

10. Promotion program of Spain as a tourist destination with the objective of maintaining competitiveness, stimulating demand for alternative markets to the British and loyalty tourism in the regions most affected by the bankruptcy of the British business group.

11. Development of measures to consolidate the 2019-2020 tourism offer in the most affected destinations (Canary and Balearic Islands).

12. Strengthening of the Network of Intelligent Tourist Destinations, promoted by the Ministry of Tourism, through SEGITTUR, to improve the tourism strategy of the destinations.

13. Design of a legal strategy in defense of the general interests of the State, those affected and consumers.

Spain received during the first eight months of the year about 58.2 million international tourists, 1.5% more compared to the same period of 2018, while spending increased 3.2% to 64,124 million euros. These are the main data of the surveys on Tourist Movements in Frontier (FRONTUR) and Tourism Expenditure (EGATUR) prepared by the National Institute of Statistics.

During the month of August, 10.1 million tourists visited our country, which represents a 0.5% decrease compared to August 2018. Its expenditure was 11,765 million euros, 2.7% more. The average daily expenditure stood at 146 euros (+ 4.7%).

The Secretary of State for Tourism, Isabel Oliver, has been very satisfied with the figures registered until the month of August, “especially as regards tourism spending that is more than double that of arrivals. The figures for August are very significant, when with 0.5% fewer visitors, spending has increased 2.7%. This is the unequivocal symptom that the profitability of the sector is improving and with it its competitive capacity ”.

Arrival of tourists

In the accumulated year, the main emitting markets were the United Kingdom, with about 12.7 million international tourists, 1.8% less than the previous year; France, with more than 8.1 million (-2.1%), and Germany with more than 7.7 million tourists, a figure very similar to that of 2018. Among the other countries of residence it is worth noting the growth experienced by the United States (+ 13.6%), Russia (+ 9%) and Portugal (+ 8.4%).

By national destinations, Catalonia was the community that received more tourists, more than 13.6 million, which represents an increase of 0.7%. It was followed by the Balearic Islands (with more than 10.1 million and a 0.2% decrease) and the Canary Islands (with almost 8.7 million, 3.7% less). It also highlights the growth of Madrid, which increases 9.2% in the number of tourists received (more than 5 million).

Increase in spending

From January to August, the main destination autonomous communities with the highest total expenditure were Catalonia (with € 15,129 M and an increase of 4.3%), Canary Islands (with € 11,238 M, 0.8% more than in the same period of 2018), and the Balearic Islands (with € 11,112 million, an increase of 1.8%).

As for the issuing countries, the United Kingdom has the highest accumulated expenditure so far this year with € 12,732 M (+ 1.3%). It is followed by Germany, with € 8,018 M (-0.6%) and France, with € 5,611 M (+ 2.4%).

Coinciding with the celebration of World Tourism Day, the acting Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, will visit this Friday the Naval Museum and the Real Madrid Museum.

The minister will visit the exhibition “We were first. Magallanes, Elcano and around the world ”, which recalls the world's first circumnavigation, five hundred years ago.

At the Real Madrid Museum, you will take the tour known as “Tour Bernabeu’. At the end of the visit, he will attend the previously accredited media on the pitch.

The purpose of World Tourism Day (which the United Nations, through the World Tourism Organization, celebrates since 1980) is to raise awareness of the international social, cultural, political and economic value of tourism and reflect on the contribution of this activity to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This year, the motto is "Tourism and employment: A better future for all".

DIARY:

September 27th

11:45 Visit the Naval Museum (Calle Montalbán 2). There will be no media coverage. The images may be requested from the Office of Social Communication of the Navy through the email comunicacion@fn.mde.es.

12:45 Visit the Real Madrid Museum and subsequent media attention (Av. Concha Espina 1). Accreditations: Real Madrid Press Office. 91 398 43 00.

The acting Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, highlighted today the importance of travel agencies during the inauguration of the XIX ACAVe Forum: Infrastructures and economic relations for the advancement of tourism.

The minister highlighted the contribution of agencies to the tourism industry and the need for their participation to achieve seasonally adjusted tourism, streamline tourism demand, facilitate the consumption of destinations and alternative activities, etc. For Reyes Maroto, the success of many of the proposals and initiatives of the Spanish tourism offer depends on the ability of the agencies "to convert our tourism resources into consumable items, into tourism products."

The minister has also indicated that the agencies have adapted to the disruptive changes in the sector, thanks in part to one of its strengths: innovation and tourism intelligence.

The Brexit Challenge

Also, during his speech, Reyes Maroto has referred to the important challenge that Brexit poses. Maroto has listed the measures that the Government has implemented taking the initiative in the accompaniment and support to the tourist business fabric to improve its preparation before an event of magnitude.

Among these measures is the intensification of advertising campaigns in British media and specialized channels to reassure the traveler and tour operator in the United Kingdom about their purchase decisions, and thus maintain the flow of tourists. In June Turespaña activated 'We have Spain in common', a social media campaign whose objective is to build loyalty to British tourists and create a feeling of confidence in the Spanish tourist destination. In addition, on September 6, the minister's council approved 33.3 million for international advertising campaigns, including campaigns that will address the effects of Brexit.

Need for a new tourist model

Finally, the minister has reviewed other challenges facing the sector, which require the redefinition of the role of tourism policies and the development of new tools for tourism planning and management at the local level. In this sense, the Government is committed to the transformation of the tourism model based on the concepts of innovation, technology, sustainability, accessibility and governance to guarantee the present and future of tourism in our country.

Reyes Maroto recalled that in January the general guidelines of the Sustainable Tourism Strategy of Spain 2030 were presented, “a strategy that we want to build on the consensus, with the participation of all the actors, to lay the foundations of a tourism model based on the improvement of the competitive capacity and profitability of the industry, in the different natural and cultural values ​​of the destinations, and in the equitable distribution of tourism benefits and burdens ”.

Acting Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, said today in St. Petersburg that "improving professional training and retaining and attracting talent are key to maintaining Spain's competitiveness and leadership in the global tourism sector."

In the framework of the 23rd meeting of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization, Maroto participated in a debate on education and employment in tourism in which he also pointed out the importance of reputation in the sector, and mentioned the Master Plan for a Decent Work launched by the Government, “which has allowed improving the working conditions of more than 14,000 workers, as well as reducing the gender gap, in a very feminized sector”.

He also said that tourism is a lever against the demographic challenge, and presented the Network of Smart Destinations developed by Segittur as an example of the opportunities that digitalization offers to develop new products and improve destination management. The panel was completed with representatives of the Governments of Russia, Portugal, Seychelles, Egypt, Croatia, Colombia or Portugal, among others.

In the plenary session held yesterday, the minister placed tourism as a political priority and recalled that Spain leads the Tourism Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum, something that “encourages us to continue working on a new governance of the tourism model that serves as a development lever of the Sustainable Development Goals. Tourism must be an element of transformation, job creation and social welfare ”. He also recalled that, to this end, the Government approved the basis for defining a Sustainable Tourism Strategy 2030, aligned with the UNWTO guidelines: “It is important that tourism is addressed in a transversal manner and that we take better advantage of the value it offers , to continue being a world tourism power in the field of sustainability, accessibility, respect for the environment and gender equality policies ”.

Reyes Maroto completed his work agenda in St. Petersburg with bilateral meetings with different delegations – among them, that of South Korea (2020 marks seventy years since the establishment of diplomatic relations and will be a guest country at FITUR) – and a working meeting with the CEO of the WTTC (World Travel and Tourism Council), Gloria Guevara.