ARCHIVED - Cancellation of Imserso trips another blow for the Spanish hostelry sector

The Imserso holidays programme takes the elderly on bargain breaks during the low season for hoteliers

The Spanish Government has bowed to the inevitable and agreed to cancel the remainder of the Imserso travel season for this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but says that it is already working on a new program adapted to the conditions created by Covid.

The cancellation was approved this Tuesday in a meeting of the Council of Ministers, and was confirmed by the Secretary of State for Social Rights, Nacho Álvarez, in an appearance at the Commission on Social Rights and Comprehensive Disability Policies of Congress.

"It would be foolish for the Government to send millions of older people to travel at this time of a pandemic," stressed Álvarez, who recalled that the elderly are not only the most at risk, but are also the most careful and those who take the most measures to protect themselves from the virus.

Cases in Spain are currently the highest in Europe and are continuing to climb, as are fatalities and hospitalisations.

The tourism sector, which accounts for 12% of GDP, is already suffering from the extreme effects of quarantines and restrictive measures placed by most European countries deterring foreign tourists from travelling to Spain, as well as a significant downturn in the domestic market, the sector set to lose 1000 billion euros worth of revenue this year.

The sector says that 90,000 jobs are at risk following the cancellation, but in truth, many hotels had already decided to close or downsize for the winter season, although this will of course be used as an excuse to ask for financial aid for the sector.

The Imserso scheme usually provides a welcome surge of revenue during the “down-season” coachloads of pensioners from all over the country helping to cover the costs of keeping hotels open and maintaining employment during the quieter months of the year. This year many hotels have already announced their intention to close for the off-season, and hope that the covid situation will have improved somewhat by the spring.

The Minister asked the public "not to mix things", because - he insisted - "to make thousands of people travel at this time to save the tourism sector, would, I believe, be very foolish."

Álvarez has made it clear that the season is cancelled for this year but that the social tourism program for the elderly, which is enjoyed by a million people every year, "an icon of this country", and of great benefit to the elderly, will readjust to the new conditions in its next edition.