It is the main tourist level foreign market in the Community of Valencia and therefore needs attention. The new Tourism Minister, Nuria Montes, took this into account when sending a message of calm reassuring British tour operators and airlines operating in the autonomous region that the tourist tax would not be imposed. She will do this in a letter she will send next week in which she promises to remove any obstacles as well as asking for your trust. This action will be performed in A time when British tourism has already returned to pre-pandemic levelsalthough the threat of tax hinders contracts for the year 2024 that should go into effect.
The rate, approved by Botànic’s previous government, whose application is scheduled to begin on 1 January next year, has caused a lot of enthusiasm in these municipalities. widespread rejection by the tourism industry, given the deterrent effect it can have in some markets. One of the most belligerent about the tax was Nuria Montes, who until a few weeks ago was the general secretary of the Hosbec hotel management association, who did not hesitate to disclose the harmful effects this measure could have.
Well, now in his new role as Minister of Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism, One of the first decisions he took in this regard was to send letters to British tour operators and airlines. Those working in the Community of Valencia to send them a message of peace.
In the letter this newspaper reached, he states that he was elected as a member of parliament after the elections held last May, which led to a change of government. After greeting on behalf of himself and Generalitat President Carlos Mazón, Montes He reported that one of the first decisions taken by the new Executive was to repeal the law. this allowed the rate to be determined, so he claims that “tourism tax cannot be established in the entire region in the coming years”.
The Minister recalls that the Community of Valencia includes other popular destinations in the United Kingdom such as Benidorm, Costa Blanca, Alicante or Valencia. He ends the letter with: “We want to support your lasting trust in our destiny, and as best we can, remove any obstacle or obstacle that may hinder your valuable mission».
The initiative adopted by Montes was praised by employer Hosbec, considering the importance the British market has for the Valencian Community in general and Benidorm and Costa Blanca in particular. While tourists from the UK have already reached 2019 levels, there was uncertainty about next year before the pandemic hit.. As Mayte García, the association’s new general secretary, explains, “we see travel contracts being negotiated for next year, and tour operators are asking about the tax and hotel managers don’t know what to tell them. So anything done to record that the rate won’t take effect is very good.
28.9% of the tourists coming to Benidorm in this month of August are of English origin.Considering that 55.1% of the visitors are foreigners, this is a considerable number. In the rest of the Costa Blanca, foreign tourism represents 32% and the British share 7.3%. In addition, tourists from the United Kingdom in Alicante have gained great importance, representing 6.9% of the total. Foreigners are 49.2%.