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Published
Friday,
May 29, 2020 By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The Tourism Institute, or ICT by its acronym in Spanish, has developed 14 guidelines for the safe reopening of companies related to the tourism sector, which had to suspend their operations due to the pandemic. According to the Institute, although the recovery of the tourism sector will be gradual, having the guidelines allows entrepreneurs to implement sanitary measures and be ready for the reopening of their business. Also, the Institute's staff are developing training workshops on the correct ways to apply the guidelines. The training will be given to companies related to the tourism sector, among others: hosting companies, adventure tourism, travel agencies or tour operators, car rentals, spas, tourist centers with pools, transportation, aerial recreational activity, aquatic recreational activity, congresses, conventions, and restaurants, among many others. During this week, training was given to companies or professionals that offer adventure and theme park tourism services, said the Institute in its statement. Among the training topics are, for example the use and cleaning of personal flotation devices or life jackets, paddles, helmets, kayaks, rafts, tubings, canoes, surfboards, paddleboards, snorkeling equipment, among others. Another subject that is analyzed in the training is the recommended social distancing. In this case, it is recommended to respect the principle of the social bubble and maintain six-feet of distance from each other. In the case of clients traveling alone, it is recommended to place them in smaller or individual groups, as long as there is consent from the client. According to the Institute, the guidelines they have developed are not complex to implement. These guidelines can be accessed on the Institute website. The first sessions of this training began on May 14, specifically for business owners of hotels with less than 20 rooms. These small hotels were the first authorized to reopen to the public, according to orders by the Ministry of Health. According to the Institute, the training was attended by more than 275 hoteliers who had also received documents with respective information on the reopening process. In Costa Rica, small hotels with less than 20 rooms represent 83% of the country's accommodations, the Institute said. The training was also given to business owners of hotels with more than 21 rooms, where 600 hotel representatives were registered. The guidelines are essential for the safety of tourists that their hotel is following sanitizing measures to prevent any risk of infection. The Institute announced that it will continue offering training courses to restaurants and other tourism-related services. In 2019, the tourism sector generated $3.9 trillion and more than 200,000 people work in tourism-focused companies, according to statistics from the Costa Rican Central Bank. People interested in attending the training or request for more information can reach the Institute staff by emailing protocols@ict.go.cr. On April, the Costa Rican Hotels Chamber, CCH, announced that it is unfeasible to proceed with full refunds to its guests due to booking cancellations. According to the Chamber, paying back the money will become an aggravating situation for the tourist economic sector already affected by the coronavirus covid-19 crisis. The tourism sector is one of the most affected by the crisis caused by the pandemic. And given the current context, as there are no tourists, tourism entrepreneurs present financial problems in their businesses. Also, the cancellation of hotel reservations have increased, worsening the situation in the tourism sector especially now with refunds, said the Chamber "I respectfully inform that, we (hotels), are not in the possibility of reimbursing the money, our companies are going through serious cash flow issues because income is nil. So a measure of this type (returning the reimbursing money) is unfeasible and it does hurt more to the sector (referring tourism economic sector),” said Javier Pacheco, president of the Chamber. Pacheco calls on hotel owners to make their reservation and cancellation policies as flexible as possible and to offer their clients other alternatives, such as rescheduling reservation dates without extra penalty charges. "That is the slightest harmful option, however, it is only a recommendation that we make from the Chamber, of course, each business has its cancellation policies and may apply as they consider necessary," Pacheco said. Most of the hotels in the country have suspended or reduced to a minimum its operations, maintaining a part of their employees and applying the reduction of working hours, as the last option, said the Chamber in its statement. “Our main interest is to minimize the consequences of our employees and their families, that is why it is essential to maintain cash flow in our businesses to be able to support it, but a measure of this type (referring to the reimbursed), causes serious damage,” Pacheco said. ------------------------ What are some good strategies to improve the tourism sector after the pandemic? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
