Tourism bosses from the Region of Murcia will be using WTM London as a platform to promote the Spanish destination’s free Covid-19 travel insurance.
From 1 July 2021, visitors to the Region of Murcia who stay in regulated tourist accommodation will be able to take advantage of the offer, which covers them in the event of a COVID-19 infection in addition to common illness and accident.
The free policy covers medical and pharmaceutical expenses, transportation and/or repatriation costs, and expenses for any extension of a stay. The cover is available from 1 July 2021 until 30 June 2022.
The regional government of Murcia has allocated €600,000 to this initiative to boost the perception of Murcia as a safe destination.
The funding is expected to provide cover for an estimated 900,000 tourists from other regions in Spain and overseas.
Overall, the regional government of Murcia has allocated a budget of €21 million to rebuild its tourism sector and promote holidays to the destination.
Maria Del Mar Martinez Ballester, Director of Promotion at the Tourism Institute of the Region of Murcia, said:
“The insurance policy provides security and confidence to visitors in the post-Covid period – and gives our local tourism sector a kickstart after what has been a difficult 18 months for so many.
“We want to highlight this to as many potential visitors as possible so working with WTM London means that we are able to spread the message to our key source markets in the UK and Europe.
“This insurance initiative is a bold plan to entice more tourists back to Murcia region and support the rapid recovery of our tourism trade – hotels, hostels, campsites, restaurants and many other providers.
“This is the first time our region has offered free travel insurance to tourists – the impact of COVID-19 has been unprecedented, so we need to be innovative with our solutions to the devastating impact on tourism.”
She said the Murcia region suffered a 77% overall drop in tourist numbers amid the COVID crisis, so the insurance initiative, along with other marketing promotions, will play a crucial role in rebuilding the tourism economy.
The largest overseas market is the UK, accounting for 43% of overseas visitors in 2019 – but that fell to 32% in 2020.
In 2020, there were 90,644 tourists from the UK – down by 80% on 2019. The UK market was worth €85m last year – down by 82% on the 2019 total of €479m.
Simon Press, Exhibition Director at WTM London, said:
“We’re delighted to be working with the Region of Murcia to help the region promote its COVID insurance offer – it is a very innovative, practical solution to the challenge of tourism’s post-COVID landscape.
“We look forward to reconnecting with the region and its tourism trade in London in November as they look to rebuild and bounce back to pre-pandemic levels in 2022.
WTM London physical event will take place at ExCeL London on Monday, November 1-Wednesday, November 3, 2021, and will be followed by WTM Virtual – November 8-9, 2021. Registration opens in July.
For details of the travel insurance scheme, visit:
https://www.murciaturistica.es/en/covid_travel_insurance/
Image: Panoramic aerial view of Cartagena city by Mediterranean coast overlooking port and marina with moored pleasure yachts, Spain
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