No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsLatin AmericaVenezuela plans November reopening for tourism

Venezuela plans November reopening for tourism

Venezuela will reopen its tourist attractions “gradually” starting in December after registering a “sustained trend” of decreasing Covid-19 infections in the country, President Nicolás Maduro announced Wednesday.

The socialist president announced in a televised broadcast that the government had ordered to “gradually reopen tourist areas from December 1 through a strict biosafety protocol in order to stimulate the tourism sector at the end of 2020 and celebrating the Christmas season.”

The measure, continued the president, was authorized due to the “sustained trend” of decreasing cases of the coronavirus in the country of 30 million inhabitants. Official tallies cite 85,000 total infections and 714 deaths.

Organizations such as Human Rights Watch, however, question the official balance sheets as not very credible.

“It is news that we receive with joy,” because “the sector is really affected economically,” Leudo González, the president of the Superior Council of Tourism of Venezuela (Conseturismo), told AFP.

Prior to the arrival of Covid-19 in Venezuela in mid-March, when a national quarantine was decreed, tourism had already experienced a “significant decrease” over recent years, González said.

In 2019, hotel occupancy was around 30%, according to Conseturismo, a “critical” situation that worsened with the quarantine and other measures that are still ongoing.

Tourism was also hit by the collapse of air travel following a massive exodus of airlines due to state debts amounting to $3.8 billion dollars, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

This departure of airlines was the consequence of the lack of foreign exchange to repatriate profits within the framework of an exchange applied since 2003.

Commercial flights in Venezuela have been prohibited since March due to the pandemic, a restriction extended on Monday until November 12.

Maduro also announced that he will authorize “in due course” a “monitored general relaxation” of isolation measures. The new framework will establish sanitary regulations and time slots.

In Venezuela the so-called “7 + 7” scheme has been in force since June. It alternates seven days of “radical quarantine,” when all businesses are forced to close except those in prioritized sectors such as food or health, with seven of “flexibilization” that allow activities to be reactivated.

The virus met a Venezuela already struggling with hyperinflation and almost seven years of recession.

Trending Now

Caral Citadel in Peru Opens After 3,800 Years

A 3,800-year-old citadel belonging to the Caral civilization—one of the oldest in the world—opened its doors to the public this Saturday after eight years...

UN Experts Warn of Possible Nicaraguan Government Role in Exile’s Murder in Costa Rica

A team of UN human rights experts said Tuesday that involvement by the Nicaraguan government in the killing of retired major Roberto Samcam cannot...

Panama’s Colonial Trade Route Named UNESCO World Heritage Site

The colonial route of Panama, used for centuries to transport the riches of the Americas on mules and boats and considered a forerunner of...

Panama’s President Pushes for Chiquita’s Return After Massive Layoffs

Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino pledged on Wednesday to do everything possible to convince U.S. banana giant Chiquita Brands to resume operations in the...

Costa Rica Minister Slams NGO “Blackmail” Following Ocean Award

Last November, Costa Rica received the 2024 Oceans Advocate Rob Stewart Award at the annual “Save Our Oceans” gala, organized by Fins Attached in...

Vigilante Justice in Quake-Hit Guatemala Town Claims Five Lives

In a Guatemalan town reeling from recent earthquakes, residents took matters into their own hands on Thursday night, lynching five men they accused of...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica