Interior of the Vincci La Rábida hotel, in Seville, this Friday.PACO PUENTES / EL PAIS
Can the arrival of tourists be encouraged by offering them medical coverage during their vacations?
The answer is not easy, but hotels believe it is.
So much so that large hotel chains have launched insurance that provide health care to their guests in case of contracting covid-19.
The coverage includes the expenses that the disease may entail, that is, from a quarantine to a possible repatriation to their countries of origin.
Some chains, in addition, go further: they extend the assistance to any other health need, yes, with a free part and a paid part.
"Anything that is providing security and coverage to tourists on vacation is positive," says Jorge Marichal, president of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (Cehat) who welcomes an initiative that is also promoted by the public sector , various autonomous communities.
As a result of the health crisis, tourism has plummeted.
Spain has gone from 58.2 million in the first eight months of 2019 to just over 15 during the same period of 2020. The outlook for the next few months is just as dire and, therefore, eight out of ten hotels remain closed, according to the figures that Cehat manages.
The data hurts especially in areas where tourism is the main or one of the biggest engines of the economy, such as the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands or the Andalusian coast.
In many of these points, autumn is the high season for sectors such as golf and incentives for companies, as well as the great contribution of IMSERSO travel for the elderly, now canceled.
These segments will hardly bring tourists in 2020. “Some people want to come, but they can't,” says Álvaro Reyes, commercial director of the Alay hotel, one of the most important in Benalmádena.
To try to alleviate the situation, the sector is looking for incentives that attract those who can travel.
One of the bets has been medical assistance.
A good example is the Soho Boutique Hotels chain, which has a score of accommodations throughout Spain and 46 throughout the world.
Thanks to an agreement with Europ Assistance, they offer tourist coverage that includes everything from medical consultations to the return to their country of origin at no extra cost.
At Vincci Hoteles -with 29 establishments throughout the Spanish geography- they have implemented medical insurance for their guests in this case in collaboration with Quirónsalud.
They offer assistance at any time, whether related to covid-19 or any other type of incident or pathology, and even transfer to the nearest Quirón center.
Of course, any evidence derived from that first medical consultation, "will be borne by the guest or their health insurance," they report from the company.
Circumstances similar to the telemedicine service implemented by Barceló Hotel Group, which has been very well received by those who choose to stay.
Other chains consulted, such as Marriot, have for the moment ruled out implementing this type of measures related to the covid.
And from the Fuerte Hoteles group, they assure that they will be evaluating it for the next season, since currently, all their establishments are closed.
Other establishments, individually, already launched the measure last summer in places such as the Costa del Sol, Cádiz or the Canary Islands.
"It has not been something generalized, but there is a trend," says Juan Zapata, president of the Andalusian Federation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (Fahat), who explains that the cost per person per day is around 50 cents.
A "very affordable" expense to attract foreign tourism that, however, was of little use when countries like the United Kingdom announced quarantines for citizens traveling to Spain.
"We believe that it can be a good claim for next season," says Zapata.
In addition, it is easy to explain: "It is a traditional travel insurance, but focused on this pandemic situation", adds Manuel Cornax, president of the Association of Hotels of Seville and Province.
In Andalusia, its Minister of Tourism, Juan Marín, has announced that all foreign tourists who visit the community from January 1 will be insured.
"It was a request from airlines and tour operators," explain sources from the Andalusian administration, who believe that the measure will serve to reinforce the image of a safe destination.
The cost to the public coffers, yes, "is to be determined."
For now, the region dedicates nine million euros to reduce the accommodation bill by up to 25% for Andalusians traveling through Andalusia thanks to a tourist voucher.
A measure that reaches up to 70% in the Valencian community for Valencians to increase domestic demand.
In this case, your spending cap is 600 million euros.
From the point of view of the public administration, the Canary Islands was the first community to subscribe an insurance to alleviate the possible consequences related to the covid by joining a proposal from the local employers.
The total cost of the policy, from Axa Seguros, is 450,000 euros and includes travel assistance, medical expenses, medical repatriation and extension of quarantine stays for those visitors - peninsular or foreign - who have been infected during their stay in the islands, where safe corridors are already being finalized to reactivate international travel.
This coverage has also been launched in the Valencian community, Catalonia or the Balearic Islands.
In these islands, where they are already preparing to host the travelers of the TUI tour operator, the regional government articulated an agreement with the private clinics and assumed the financing of the health services of the tourists who have visited the destination and have presented symptoms of coronavirus or have the result of their tests has been positive.
In addition, the federations of the sector enabled bridges to accommodate tourists with the disease, who had the possibility of being accompanied by their relatives during quarantine with guarantees of comfort and at no cost.
With information from
Lucía Bohórquez, Pedro Murillo, Santiago Cañas and Ferrán Bono
.