The Belgian government announced yesterday that both the Canary Islands and the Valencian Community (home to Benidorm) would be exempt from quarantine restrictions.

Belgium has to date had one of the strictest quarantines on travellers from Spain, requiring them to quarantine and take a PCR test for COVID-19.

The rest of Spain remains ‘red’ on the Belgian government’s travel warnings.

READ MORE: Benidorm region shows lowest COVID-19 case load in all of Spain

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The plan — called ‘Benidorm Island’ – aims to charter one or two flights of tourists from the UK to test out the destination’s health and safety procedures.

The Town Hall, via the Visit Benidorm organisation, said a travel ‘bubble’ could then be created where passengers from the UK to Alicante-Elche airport will get COVID-19 tests on departure and arrival.

The project will also give the pilot British tourists a Hospitality Team to follow up with each of them for 14 days after returning home.

A hotel will also be set aside for any tourists who test COVID-19  positive during their stay in Benidorm.

For the plan to work, however, Benidorm will need to convince the British government to relax the 14-day quarantine currently imposed upon all returning travellers from any part of Spain.

The flights will reportedly carry journalists to share positive media and build trust in the potential safe travel corridor.

Jet2 are reported to be backing the project.

Wednesday’s announcement

Benidorm’s mayor, Toni Pérez from the centre-right Partido Popular, announced the plan last Wednesday alongside:

• Local government officials
• Politicians at the provincial (Alicante) and autonomous (Comunidad Valenciana) levels
• The Hosbec hotel and tourism association
• Private hospital representatives
• Alicante-Elche airport representatives
• Leading travel agent representatives.

Leire Bilbao, director of Benidorm’s official tourism board – Visit Benidorm – said the name ‘Benidorm Island’ was chosen due to the UK’s preferential treatment to Spain’s islands over mainland destinations.

She stressed that all involved in the project would make Benidorm a ‘bubble destination’, ensuring that customers go from ‘airport to the city’ and will not leave these areas.

The project will be put before respective authorities in Spain and the UK.

Safe travel corridor

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is currently warning British nationals against all-but-essential travel to all parts of Spain.

Spain was added on 26th July, followed by the Balearics.

The concept of a safe travel corridor between the UK and Benidorm is not new: the UK has exempted the Greek islands while advising against travel to the Greek mainland.

Toni Pérez told press earlier this month that a safe travel corridor was on the table and waiting the ‘green light from the Spanish and British governments’ was pending.

“This summer we have worked with successful formulas that have demonstrated the minimisation of the risk and impact of coronavirus, as well as the work capacity and professionalism with which the situation has been managed,” Mr. Perez said.

He said ‘not a single case’ has been registered among international tourists, and said he was ‘disappointed’ the UK government was putting efforts into regenerating tourism to the Spanish islands over the mainland.

“This practice began in July and we have already transferred our most absolute disagreement,” he said.

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