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Taking into account that around 80 percent of the San Andrés economy is driven directly and indirectly by tourism, Governor Everth Hawkins Sjogreen, together with his Secretaries of Tourism and Health, have been meeting with different representatives of the sector to look for ways out. to the crisis generated by covid-19.
The meeting held by the president and representatives of Posadas Nativas, the Tourism Cluster, Cotelco, Anato and the Chamber of Commerce, among others, came to the conclusion of proposing, at the central level, an economic bailout that would maintain employability and, in addition, stop promoting the island as a tourist destination.
The president said that, despite the willingness of these unions not to fire personnel, and the government’s effort, implementing exemptions in the payment of energy and cleanliness for the entire Department, it is not enough “Because the economic recovery will be very slow and cannot be guaranteed until the issue of the pandemic is solved.”
In this regard, Jennifer Yepes Brun, executive director of the San Andrés and Providencia Chamber of Commerce, specified that on the islands there are about 7,000 affected establishments, 2,000 of them specifically geared towards tourism, and on which approximately 20,000 people depend. According to the last census of the Dane, San Andrés has about 65 thousand inhabitants.
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For this reason, in the short term, the aim is to irrigate the department’s economy so that money can circulate and boost the economy; while, in the medium term, the financial rescue is the lifeline for the payment of payrolls and maintaining employability. On the other hand, the entity is boosting business innovation with retraining and entrepreneurship programs.
Travel agency
Also, the Colombian Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (Anato), San Andrés Chapter, was present at said meeting with its president, Susan Stroemer, who assured that the revival of the economy in the islands will be very slow and that people will have You have to be very aware of it, prepare yourself emotionally and financially.
“As an industry, we made contributions (at the meeting) on what we think the islands should have for the future; the most important is the issue of cleanliness and sanitation. People who are going to travel from now on, must be aware of their health and if the site inspires confidence, that is why we must offer the security of a place where medical care is guaranteed, “he said.
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At the conclusion of this meeting, the Secretary of Tourism, Sebastián Ospina Archbold, told EL TIEMPO that “The biggest concern is the issue of financial liquidity, since there have been no tourists in almost two months; and the island and its inhabitants live from this economy directly or indirectly ”.
In addition to the economic rescue, Ospina Archbold guaranteed that the destination will continue to be promoted and that joint work is planned to maintain the different tourist attractions so that, once the activity is reopened, the theme of decoration will be advanced and beautification, guaranteeing all the security measures and thinking first of all about the health of the population.
Risks and fears
Ospina Archbold also recalled that the tourism industry was the first affected with the appearance of covid-19 and will be the last to recover, because it is not considered vital to human life.
He was also emphatic in saying that the case of the San Andrés archipelago is very different from that of other Colombian tourist destinations, such as Cartagena or Santa Marta for example, since first, it can be reached by road and second, These regions have developed other types of industries and that even export other types of products and supplies.
“We lost those benefits over time, dedicating ourselves exclusively to tourism, without foreseeing that a situation of this magnitude would affect us at any time,” he noted.
Finally, the Secretary of Tourism was categorical in assuring that the Archipelago Department is at a key moment, “a ‘zero point’,” he said, for restructure the road map that dictates the direction of the industry from now on ”.
“If this is not the time, when? If no one is entering the airport “- he asked himself -” Therefore, from the Secretariat we are forming a team to rethink the destination, to analyze where the sector should go and to move forward the issues of Public Tourism Policy and Region Brand. It is time, it is now! ”, He concluded.
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Protocols begin to reopen the airport
This Monday, May 11, the Secretary of Operational Systems of Civil Aeronautics, General Gonzalo Cárdenas Mahecha, met in a virtual way with different actors from the tourist and economic sector of San Andrés, as well as representatives of the Departmental Government, to discuss the issue of the reopening of the airport.
At the San Andrés airport they are working on adjustments to reopen their operations.
For almost two hours, both Cárdenas Mahecha, as well as several of those present at the meeting, among whom were the Secretary of Tourism, Sebastián Ospina Archbold; the Executive President of the Chamber of Commerce, Jennifer Yépez and the manager of the Gustavo Rojas Pinilla Airport, Josu Lujan, among others, intervened, emphasizing the need to reopen both the ‘Gustavo Rojas Pinilla’ airport in San Andrés, and ‘El Embrujo ‘of Providence, yes, under strict protocols in which everyone must work hand in hand, to guarantee the health of citizens and revive their economy.
Cárdenas Mahecha affirmed that Aerocivil has not stopped working, despite the uncertainty of not knowing when the country’s airports will reopen, a decision that is the responsibility of the President of the Republic. In fact, the activity has not stopped, since there are still humanitarian, ambulance or non-commercial transport flights every day.
“In a first phase, there will be no trade at airports, a single door will be enabled, the social distance will be marked in the chairs, rows, bathrooms and all kinds of services; everything will have a biosecurity protocol distance, which awaits the signature of the Minister of Health, “said the official.
He also maintained that the most important thing today is that everyone take over the airport and the necessary conditions for the reopening and to attract travelers again. “We must give them sufficient guarantees to return, the San Andrés airport must be the cleanest in Colombia, totally free of Coronavirus and, to that extent, we are doing things well, complying with all biosafety protocols.”
THE ISLANDER
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