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The hotel industry and Valencian nightlife clings to the ‘Tardevieja’ before losses that amount to 2,000 million euros

The hoteliers Valencians tried to save their Christmas with ‘Tardebuena’, but it didn’t work out as expected. A third of the usual capacity is not enough to maintain their businesses, which accumulate losses during the closing months and which only continue to stand “due to a moral boost, not profitability”. 20% have not even raised the blind again. At this time, their business volume has fallen by more than 50% and they foresee losses that will exceed 2,000 million euros. Still, they have no choice but to try the ‘Old Evening’.

The situation of the sector was explained yesterday by the president of the Valencia Hospitality Business Federation (HostelerÃa Valencia), Manuel Espinar; the president of FOTUR, VÃctor PÃ © rez, and the president of the Business Confederation of the Valencian Community (CEV), Salvador Navarro, who demanded direct aid to the non-refundable sector, because they are “bleeding to death”. In the Valencian Community, nightlife has just opened after nine months of closure, and it has done so during daytime hours, and the hotel business works with a 30% capacity indoors and 50% on terraces, restrictions that may change in any time if the incidence of Covid continues to skyrocket.

How was the Christmas campaign? Espinar explained that the trend among customers is to book at the last minute and leave at noon, which is why there has been a “dramatic drop” at dinner. During the campaign, he highlighted, as a novelty, the “good reception” of the delivery service, which makes it possible to make up for this drop “but does not replace the volume of dinners”.

The announcement of the latest restrictions, with the curfew at 00:00 on New Year’s Eve, meant an increase in cancellations that in some cases could not be supplied with new reservations and that on that date has led to many restaurants opting to close.

Non-repayable aid

The president of the CEV, Salvador Navarro, recalled that the average of direct aid by the member countries of the European Union to these sectors is 7% of GDP, with figures in countries such as Germany of 11%, while in Spain, according to Navarro, this aid is 3%.

The president of the hoteliers, Manuel Espinar, described the aid announced by the Government as a “smokescreen” “a smoke screen has been run” and a “marketing operation” to pretend that they “have had the sensitivity” with the businessmen, while “we continue in the gutter, between” aid ‘not aid, moratoriums and more moratoriums. ”

The representative of the hoteliers has criticized that the businessmen have been waiting for “two months” to meet with the president of the Generalitat and has asked the Valencian administration for an aid plan for the sector endowed with 150 million of euros. It has also called for measures such as a modification of the rental system, a reduction of VAT to 4%, and new financing lines from the Generalitat, specifically a long-term one of 15 years, as well as the moratorium of mortgage loans for the sector.

The three associations have lamented that the hospitality sector is “criminalized and demonized” and have revealed that last week, both the President of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig and the Minister of Justice, Gabriela Bravo, congratulated the hoteliers for their good work, for what they have not understood, they have assured, the concern about the “late” aired in the last hours from the Generalitat.

“I understand the anguish of the sector”

The vice president and spokesperson for the Generalitat, Mónica Oltra, assured that she “understands the anguish” of the hospitality and nightlife sector, but derives the responsibility from central government. “It is something that has to be addressed from the state level more than from each area of ​​the autonomous community.”

“The hospitality sector is one that is obviously suffering, but it is also a sector that understands that without health there is no economy and that, moreover, it is also a sector highly exposed to contagion “Precisely because they are the relational spheres where more infections occur,” Oltra explained before adding that “the restrictive measures are to save lives.” “Without health there is no economy and that is also what scientists do not stop repeating, “he added.

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