The Board of Directors of CEDMA, meeting via videoconference and chaired by Benito Mestre, carried out an analysis of what the summer season has meant in the Marina Alta, with much better occupancy results than initially expected.
According to the businessmen, these data can be attributed to a great extent to the good management that was carried out in the months of March, April and May by the Department of Health of Dénia and to the responsible and mature behavior of the society of the Marina Alta.
Thanks to the low incidence of COVID-19 in the area, the region was particularly attractive to national tourism, which was able to partly make up for the lack of visitors from other countries. Of particular note is the interest aroused this summer by the so-called "Active turism", activities carried out in the middle of nature, in the open air, which have had a greater acceptance than in other seasons.
In addition, the Board of CEDMA has underlined the good work of the companies and the speed with which all the hygienic-sanitary protocols have been implemented, especially by the hospitality establishments. However, it is regretted that nightlife has been punished, given that thanks to preventive measures it has been shown to have a very low incidence of new infections.
In the coming months, the insistence on maintaining prevention protocols and the impeccable behavior of the vast majority of citizens will be key to the economic recovery of the entire region. In this sense, CEDMA emphasizes that in the medium and long term it will be necessary to increase the presence of the Industry in the Marina Alta, through the programming of industrial land and the improvement of land communications. Even so, the best option in the short term and with winter just around the corner, is to strengthen the service sector (hospitality, companies related to the construction sector, etc.), especially since a more than acceptable has been detected occupation level in September attributable to teleworking.
To reinforce the good figures and face an uncertain year, facing the period between autumn 2020 and spring 2021, it is essential to design a complementary offer with attractions such as beaches in winter, the exuberant nature of the Marina and the peaks of Montgó, Bèrnia, Cavall Verd, Peñón de Ifach, Segària, etc.; the generous and internationally recognized gastronomy; a healthy climate and clean air thanks to the sea and the mountains.
For this reason, entrepreneurs are committed to making an effort that indicates the region as a safe destination, also promoting those activities that are attracting the most to family tourism: hiking, sailing, kayaking ... Actions that can be developed outdoors and that can integrate to people of different ages. Actions that, in short, can attract visitors to the Marina Alta from all over the national territory in the months when for
norm declines economic activity.
As a first step towards economic recovery, the Cercle Empresarial de la Marina Alta is collaborating in the organization of two events that will take place in the coming weeks and that will allow to address the current challenges faced by companies from different sectors of the Shire. They are the I Fòrum de Comerç Local, organized by Comerç de Gata that will take place on September 29 in said town and which has the participation of the Diputación de Alicante, and the Focus Pyme y Entrepreneurship Marina Alta 2020 for October 1, together with CEEI Elche, IVACE, Creama, Jovempa, Aehtma, UGT L'Alacantí-La Marina, among other entities.
