VALENCIA. The state of alarm decreed by the central government as a consequence of the health crisis of the Covid-19 It has hit the hospitality sector hard. The impossibility of opening until now has forced many establishments to apply ERTE in their templates for losses. Now, progressive reopening, first on the terraces, ensuring the safety distances is not an insurance of anything either: lack of trust in customers and the obligation to ensure a minimum distance among users it is a difficult obstacle to overcome for the profitability of bars, restaurants and cafes.
That is why the sector has demanded from the institutions different measures that could alleviate their accounts and facilitate economic viability in returning to work. In Valencia, the Valencia Business Hospitality Federation (FEHV) has brought the singing voice of the sector on these claims. Today, however, the hospitality industry can breathe a little calmer. This Wednesday it has been known that the City Council has taken into account some of its requests: the possibility of expand terraces occupying lanes of the roadway whenever possible and that does not harm the space dedicated to the pedestrian, but also the pretense of extend summer time until December, thus allowing to increase the hours that these establishments can be open in the colder months. It will also be suspended the terrace rate for all 2020.
This was announced by the mayor, Joan Ribó, this Wednesday after the government coordination meeting between the two partners, Compromís and PSPV. Both forces agreed to the possibility of lowering some sidewalks to the road, freeing up space for the pedestrian on the sidewalks, and even expanding the terraces in this movement, so that the affected premises can accommodate more customers while keeping the safety distance.
The councilor for Public Space, Lucia Beamud, holds a meeting this Thursday with residents and hoteliers to address these issues. The measure has already been announced for areas such as the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and the Central Market has been faced. “We agree to do it in other neighborhoods of the city and lower terraces to parking areas or use the side of the areas of the establishments so that space is freed for pedestrians and at the same time the hoteliers can enjoy the same space or more “exposed the first mayor.
The councilor for Public Space, for her part, said that this idea, which had also been raised by the Federation of Neighborhood Associations, will be addressed “from dialogue and consensus” and stressed that it will have to be “studied on a case-by-case basis” . Beamud affirmed that “technical studies must be reconciled with the possibilities established by municipal ordinances”, while the deputy mayor, Sandra Gomez, He commented that currently, “many bars and restaurants lack liquidity” as a result of the state of alarm and valued these initiatives.
But in addition to this, the council agreed to suspend the terrace rate for the whole year and start charging it as early as 2021. ANDa it was decided to temporarily cancel when the coronavirus pandemic exploded and the state of alarm was declared, with the consequent impossibility of opening bars and restaurants. Now, as you gave this Wednesday The Provinces, the City Council of cap i casal has made the determination to nor collect this tax throughout 2020 to facilitate the way out of the economic crisis.
The consistory collects annually for this tax amounts close to 2.5 million euros. Money that now will remain in the boxes of the hoteliers. Ribó pointed out that this is a “contribution” from the City Council to “all bars and restaurants” with the aim of “encouraging their work”, contributing to the maintenance and creation of “jobs” and “helping to get out of this situation”.
And on the other hand, as explained by town council sources, it has also been considered convenient to access another of the requests from the sector: that summer time is extended until December, so that it can open more hours in autumn and winter, to boost the profitability of the hospitality business. In this line, it’s still up in the air lThe possibility that this schedule can be supplemented by half an hour or three quarters hours on weekends. The latter will still have to be negotiated with neighborhood and economic agents.
The hospitality industry appreciates the gestures
Different hospitality associations and federations in the city of València valued these decisions and especially considered that the suspension of the tax is an “aid” for a sector that is going through “difficult” moments. From the Federation of Hospitality Entrepreneurs of Valencia (FEHV) They considered in a statement that this measure “contributes to other municipalities joining this measure, which will help many hospitality entrepreneurs from different locations.”
The FEHV highlighted the “dialogue and the predisposition shown by both the City Council and the neighborhood movement to streamline this meeting and to be able to work together on the revision of the areas, the use of the roadway to expand terraces and expedite decision-making “
Likewise, from the federation they insisted on the measures that they requested from the City Council, which according to what they point out, are “aimed at revitalizing and giving value to the terraces of the hotel establishments and are produced within the framework of the claims that are being made by the sector at an economic, fiscal and labor level to help the recovery and maintenance of hospitality companies “.
For his part, You are Hospitality He said that “Valencian hoteliers have been pleasantly surprised” that “in recent years they have seen how the Valencia City Council has been reducing the number of terraces in areas of the Central Market, Carmen, Xúquer, Juan Llorens, Menéndez Pidal or Russafa, among others”.
The spokesperson for SOS Hospitality, Fidel Molina, He considered that “greater flexibility in the concessions of occupation of public roads by the city council will facilitate the return to business of restaurants and cafes but, above all and more importantly, will provide these businesses with more space of security”.
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