Cristina Hodgson
THE Andalucian Tourist Housing Association (AVVA) has denounced the Junta for excluding tourist accommodation from receiving subsidies, in favour of large hotel companies.
The president of AVVA, Carlos Perez-Lanzac, has publicly criticised the Junta for turning its back on the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the sector.
According to the AVVA president, SMEs and self-employed workers are of critical importance to tourism in Andalucia, yet they have been ‘forgotten’ for the benefit of large hotel companies which are, as claimed by Perez-Lanzac, already ‘flooded with millions in economic support’.
The outrage comes following the announcement of a €60 million direct aid package to the hotel sector to alleviate the effects of the COVID-19 health crisis, yet tourist homeowners have been left out in ‘an unfair and arbitrary manner’.
Furthermore, Perez-Lanzac, pointed out that the SMEs in the sector were the ‘pioneers’ at the beginning of the pandemic in making their accommodation available to the Andalucian administration so that it could be used free of charge by health workers and front line personnel.
“Yet when it comes to distributing aid, we have been completely forgotten in the most malicious and inappropriate way possible” Perez-Lanzac said.
“Despite being a sector that generates €1.2 billion in Andalucia, 63% of which affects local commerce, restaurants, car hire and similar local services.” he added.
AVVA currently represents 9,000 tourist homes and nearly 45,000 accommodation places and has assured it will not ‘consent’ to this situation and will ‘keep fighting with the Administration’.
READ MORE:
