ARCHIVED - Fifth of Benidorm bookings cancelled over holiday weekend amid Covid rebound
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
20% of holidaymakers cancelled reservations in the Marina Baixa resort, Alicante province, last weekend
Continued reports of a Covid rebound which has seen the incidence rate skyrocket in Benidorm have hit the resort hard with 20% of travellers cancelling bookings ahead of last week's bank holiday weekend.
"The initial forecast was estimated at 80%, but updated data put hotel occupancy at 60% after a week of cancellations," explained Valencia region's Hotel and Tourism Business Association (HOSBEC).
"The hotel sector is very concerned about the real consequences for the sector with reports Benidorm is in a situation of extreme risk when the reality is completely different," it added.
Hosbec is now demanding that the health data for Benidorm is calculated according to its "special situation", given that the resort attracts a high volume of tourists and a floating community which can triple the resident population.
The spotlight has been on Benidorm over the last couple of weeks following a surge in new infections which has been attributed to the removal of travel restrictions to Spain from the UK, and the return of British tourists last month.
The 14-day cumulative incidence has skyrocketed to more than 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, "largely due to imported cases".
But the pandemic data is calculated on the census population, in Benidorm's case, 65,000 inhabitants. However, the floating population with the arrival of tourism, especially British, pushes this figure up to 180,000 inhabitants, which is why the Ministry of Health and Hosbec have attributed the upturn in new cases to the return of British tourism.
If the estimated 65,000 residents registered in Benidorm alone are counted, the incidence drops significantly to around 100 cases, "far from extreme danger or emergency situation", Hosbec pointed out.
"We are angry and indignant in equal parts about the campaign to discredit Benidorm as a destination, with alarming news that seriously damages us at a time when we are trying to recover the sector, our businesses and our jobs," added Hosbec sources.
Last week, the hoteliers association launched an anti-coronavirus campaign aimed at British holidaymakers to try to stem the surge in cases, publishing a guide of Covid protocol in English to "avoid a season damaging rebound".
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