The Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés, participated this Wednesday in the Tourism Innovation Summit in Seville, where he defended that quarantines imposed on international travelers should be the last resort because there is a more effective alternative to make travel safe. , such as conducting tests at origin to passengers from areas at risk for COVID-19.
At the ‘Recover consumers confidence’ discussion table, the Secretary of State explained that Spain leads an “ambitious” position in the international community so that the policy of the test before travel is extended and allows to recover certain mobility in tourist flows.
A debate that Spain will promote this Monday at a summit in La Palma organized in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization and the World Travel & Tourism Council and that has already experienced some progress with the decision of the EU Council on October 13 that established common criteria to define the different levels of risk in European regions and recognized tests as an alternative to quarantines.
"Spain has always believed that quarantines were not an effective solution to control the pandemic," recalled Valdés, who has urged countries to agree on other alternatives that give confidence to travel.
The opportunity of European funds
The Secretary of State has reviewed the opportunities that open up with the arrival of European recovery funds, which will allow the modernization of the tourism sector through actions that will allow progress towards a more sustainable and digital model.
At the end of the round table that he shared with the former Secretary General of UNWTO Taleb Rifai and the Director General of Amadeus Spain and Portugal, Valdés attended the opening ceremony of the Tourism Innovation Summit, chaired by Her Majesty The Queen.
On the margins of the summit, the Secretary of State held a meeting with the Vice President of the Junta de Andalucía, Juan Marín, and the Secretary General for Tourism, Manuel Muñoz, with whom he analyzed the situation of the Andalusian sector and explored the possibilities collaboration that opens with the arrival of European recovery funds.
