Alex Trelinski
THREE Benidorm-based hospitality and trade groups want businesses to close this Thursday(November 12) so that they can join a protest calling for more financial help for their sectors.
It will be the third-such rally organised in Benidorm since the start of the coronavirus pandemic as bars, restaurants, hotels, and small shops have seen revenues collapse.
The latest demonstration has been organised by the Abreca and Cobreca hospitality associations along with independent traders group, Aico.
They say that regional financial aid from the Valencian regional government is nowhere near as good as what other areas like Andalucia, Galicia, and Murcia are providing.
The demonstration starts at 11.00am in Benidorm’s Plaza del Ayuntamiento where a series of demands will be read out including an appeal for a wide-ranging set of tax reductions and help with Social Security contributions.
In a joint statement, the associations said: “We feel abandoned, despised and humiliated compared to other Spanish regions and European countries like France and Germany.”
Many Benidorm area hotels, bars, restaurants, and small retailers have closed for the winter, with increasing fears that a substantial number will never reopen.
