Discover Andalusia from home on June 10

After a successful first webinar session on Madrid and Barcelona – the popular areas of Spain, a second session will consist of another region which is quite close to the travellers of the GCC as it has the history and culture which bonds them to the destination.

Starting from July, the entry of foreign tourism to Spain in safe conditions will resume. Tourism needs security at origin and destination. The Spanish government will guarantee that tourists will not run any risk and that they will not bring any risk to Spain. Spanish tourism, in addition to its art, culture, gastronomy, beaches and landscape, will add two more hallmarks – health and safety and environmental sustainability.

Spain will drop its two-week quarantine period for foreign arrivals from July, the country’s government has confirmed. Travellers must inquire with their national authorities about the exact travel conditions before starting their trip, as the reopening will be progresive and depending on the evolution of the circumstances. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has pledged visitors and the sector’s workforce will be kept safe. Spain attracts more than 80 million tourists a year.

Guidelines for safe reopening
The Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism in coordination with the Health Ministry has published 12 guides detailing the specifications for the ‘safe reopening’ of Spain’s tourism industry and helping reduce the spread of COVID-19. The guidelines, drawn up by the Institute for Spanish Tourist Quality (ICTE), contain specifications for service, cleaning and disinfection, maintenance and risk management. They are designed to instruct the sector, which accounts for 12 per cent of Spain’s GDP, to restart its activity with ‘maximum safety’ and boost the confidence of travellers.

Educating industry specialists
In order for tourists to know exactly what they can do in the country it is extremely important at this point of time to keep the travellers informed of the most important facts and areas that may be placed in their bucket list. So, from the Spain Tourism Board in Abu Dhabi, a tri-series of webinars are ongoing with educating industry specialists about the destination.

The first webinar by the Spain Tourism Board was concluded successfully with participants from all over the United Arab Emirates and GCC. Daniel Rosado Bayon, Director of the Spanish Tourism Office in Abu Dhabi, conducted the session with a general update about the country, connectivity, weather etc. He stated that last year Spain received more than 83 million visitors. Then a poll was held on the right side of the screen for the visitors to interact; the first poll was, “What are the barriers for coming to Spain?” there were four criteria given – connectivity, lack of knowledge of the destination, lack of cultural ties, and visa issues. About 46 per cent stated visa issues were a barrier and 36 per cent cited lack of knowledge about the destination, so this webinar focused on the second aspect and provided the knowledge necessary.

There were several videos shown throughout the webinar which gave an opportunity to the visitors to take a closer look of the destination and its offerings. In this session, Madrid and Barcelona were the key areas in focus. It was a very comprehensive presentation by Rosado about the many activities that can be done, the historical, cultural and entertainment options for families, individuals travelling for leisure, honeymooners, youth, adventure and M!CE visitors etc.

Agents who participated in the webinar were very happy with the polls that gave them an opportunity to voice their concerns. At the end of the session the questions were answered by Rosado. He stated that the next two sessions to be held on June 10 and June 17, 2020 would have a lot more knowledge to pass on. He further explained that by July there may be a possibility of more airports opening and travel beginning to revive.

Second webinar on Andalusia for GCC
Rosado stated, “We want to provide an opportunity to all those interested in learning more about the varied destinations within Spain, some are more known than others and this tri-series will ensure that everyone obtains knowledge about the sights, food, shopping, cultural, historical and art focused areas within the varied cities in Spain. In this second session, our focus will be on Andalusia or in Spanish, Andalucia. The region is also world famous for bullfighting, great climate, flamenco, gastronomy like tapas, fiestas, beaches and diverse geography. So, join us once again and learn about a rich destination that has the most interesting offerings for all ages.”

Al Andalus was the name given by the Muslims during the Middle Ages to the Iberian peninsula. Nowadays Andalucia is the southern region of Spain, which offers a great variety of landscapes, from the mountain range of Sierra Nevada to the coastal towns in the Mediterranean sea. Andalucía is famous for its stunning beaches, fabulous monuments such as the Cordoba Mosque or the Alhambra Palace, flamenco and gastronomy. Other regions such as Valencia will also be covered in this journey through the wonders of Spain.

Do not miss out the next webinar and discover Spain as never before on June 10 at 11 am UAE time and the third one on June 17, 2020. For more details log on to www.tourismbreakingnews.ae or www.travtalkmiddleeast.com