We analyze the state of tourism in the Valencian Community
Do you think it is an emerging phenomenon among the Valencians the «Tourist Go Home»?
Sincerely not, Valencian society has a tolerant, open, accustomed character to receiving tourists, to receive flows of people in high season. The character of the Valencians is that of a hospital society, it is a value that we also try to highlight as a tourist attribute in this age when globalization and the world as a whole have to prepare us for a world where there will be great tourist dynamics, but It is also a world in which at the moment for geopolitical issues we may be receiving a surplus of tourists borrowed from other areas that are having a bad time and that therefore I believe that we must demystify the idea of rejection. Valencian society does not have a negative perception of tourism, unlike , I think that we (Valencians) have been a society that has gained a lot in tourism and we know that we have to manage the saturations and we have to manage the new tourist dynamics.
In the Valencian tourism there is much talk about unovercrowding and seasonality. How is this taken to term?
There are two issues: on the one hand the supply management without building artifacts, because our community is able to seduce several segments of the demand. We can activate other types of tourism that can be activated outside high season such as culture, heritage, accessible tourism, LGTBI, experiential, congresses, sports, etc. Everything that can be experienced outside the summer interests us. The demand is increasingly specialized and with Big Data and market intelligence we are oriented to position ourselves within the interests of the receiving public that moves out of high season. On the other hand, we are interested in making people circulate, making places like Valencia that tourist aircraft carrier that invites people to move to other places of great interest such as the interior routes or the route of Borja.
Which kind of tourism is the best for you? #Gandia, Benidorm, Morella …? Which model would you export?
Our strength is diversity and plurality, our territory is diverse and tourism can be a future passport for rural areas based on what they are. In the Community we have a diversity of disparate and compatible offers. Benidorm is an exceptional large collective plot but has nothing to do with other destinations. The ideal model does not exist, this depends on the visitor’s expectation. We want to maintain that diversity but improve the quality to achieve the most important challenge, not frustrate the expectation.
Will we get as many Asian as British tourists?
We are far from this, but the Chinese market is constantly growing. China is going to be a power that in 2020 will be the most tourists export. Culture, history, traditions are the things they are looking for. The silk route is a great cultural gateway to foment the empathy between East and West, which have much to do: chufa, gunpowder, porcelain, etc. We also have to say that air connectivity is increasing and will improve with Europe and we have to be prepared to be an attractive destination.
Can we say today that Brexit’s fears were not so great?
Although the tourist Brexit seemed a bad omen, we have not felt a problem, in fact has rebounded since the referendum was approved.