- Contest: This is the capital of rural tourism in Spain in 2020
- Summer More village, more camping and higher prices: this is how our holidays are
The summer of 2020 will not be the same as in other years, but tourism was timidly recovering its pulse after so much time of closure and confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic . And one of the segments that has worked hardest in its development is that of rural tourism. Most of the properties resumed activity on July 1 and this holiday bodes well for the reserves if the outbreaks that have been happening lately do not change the situation. What's more, these spikes can make rural tourism even more important by opting for the town of a lifetime and places in the middle of nature far from crowds to escape.
The impact of the health crisis has caused a change in the vacation habits of the Spanish, who traditionally packed their bags to enjoy some of the litora l beaches . However, restrictions on the influx of public and other preventive measures, added to the desire to enjoy nature, have caused rural accommodation searches in the interior of Spain to skyrocket, increasing requests and reservations by 300%, according to different sectoral portals. Of these searches, the integral rent of the property and that has a swimming pool appears as the most demanded option. Thus, it seems that rural tourism could experience a real boom this summer.
Attention to sprouts
Ventura García Fabián, president of the Spanish Association of Rural Tourism (Asetur), although confirming the trend, is cautious and maintains that the increase in reserves is a product of the scenario that exists at the moment: "This summer we are receiving a significant increase in requests compared to last year, although, in my opinion, this is a circumstantial event due to the current situation of uncertainty, both in mobility and in the still fear of possible outbreaks of the virus with a higher incidence in areas with a high concentration of visitors. "
The president of Asetur recalls that this boom "has been preceded by a total stoppage since March " and that in September, "with all certainty, the waters will return to their channel and the occupation will again fall significantly. We must bear in mind that the economic difficulties that follow the sanitary problems will make an important dent in tourism in general and, therefore, also in our sector, "he points out.
In this context of uncertainty, García Fabián also sees a good opportunity, as he argues, "this means that we must be extremely careful in the provision of services since we will be visited by people who in other circumstances would travel to other destinations and it will be a good time to capture and to excite part of them so that they enjoy how much we can offer them. "
Change of vacation plans
The specialized website escapadarural.com has carried out a study among 10,569 travelers and more than 1,500 owners on rural tourism in the post-covid era 19, which would corroborate this growing forecast of reservations. According to this analysis, the crisis has disrupted the vacation plans of the vast majority, and 52% of those surveyed admit that they planned to travel abroad but that they will stay in Spain, without specifying whether or not they will travel, although in the end, the 71% will opt for some corner of the bull skin and 70% will choose rural tourism from Madrid to Castilla-La Mancha, the Canary Islands or Andalusia as the first option, especially those between the age group of 55 to 65 years ( 75%).
Throughout all those months of confinement, many have had to cancel trips that they had already contracted in the months prior to the health crisis, and not a few have found it difficult to reimburse them. Thus, it is not surprising that 89% of those surveyed by escapadarural.com consider the possibility of canceling the reservation in the event of a pandemic rebound as very important.
Precisely due to the health crisis experienced, one of the issues that travelers value the most is that the accommodation has sufficient safety and hygiene measures. This is what 76.4% of those surveyed believe, and 62% consider it important to have sufficient information on this aspect before making the reservation.
Preferred places to escape
But where do travelers want to go on their first getaway this year? Asturias is ranked as the favorite destination followed by Andalusia, Catalonia and Cantabria, according to this survey . However, the Principality is not the community with the highest number of rural accommodation , since the first place in that ranking is occupied by Castilla y León, with 20.61% of properties, according to the Barometer of Rural Tourism in Spain 2019. Within that community, the province of Ávila is the one that is in first position with 3.75%.
Following that same study, over the past year, rural accommodation reservations within this autonomy ranked second with 13.63% of reservations, behind Catalonia, which copied 16.65%. La Rioja is at the other extreme in terms of the number of accommodations, according to the same barometer (1.24%). However, visitors who come to the region annually have endless activities. The community has started a campaign - # reservalarioja- with which it intends to encourage travelers to return.
"Knowing the infinite corners of our country, its people, its customs, its authentic gastronomy, its most diverse landscapes and, in general, its culture is something that is worth enjoying with our family and thereby contribute to our young people getting soaked of how much their land offers them, "concludes the president of Asetur.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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