Lloret de Mar Town Council, under the leadership of Lloret Turisme (the local tourist board) and the Hotel and Restaurant Guild of Lloret de Mar, has today unveiled the destination’s plan for the 2021 summer season. For the second season in a row, much of the preparatory work has been dedicated to adapting safety protocols to combat COVID-19. Today’s event was attended by Jaume Dulsat, Mayor of Lloret de Mar; Cristian Fernàndez, Councillor for the Operational Plan for the Tourism Reconversion of Lloret de Mar; Jordi Orobitg, Councillor for Economic Promotion and for the Operational Plan for the Tourism Reconversion of Lloret de Mar; and Enric Dotras, President of the Hotel and Restaurant Guild of Lloret de Mar.
Today’s presentation coincided with the activation of one of the most important initiatives of this season in Lloret de Mar in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a PCR and antigen testing service, which is available to the tourists who visit Lloret de Mar, professionals of the tourism sector and local residents. This service will operate from Monday to Saturday, with no need to book ahead, and will be provided at the facilities of the municipal athletics tracks, which Lloret de Mar Town Council has made available for this purpose. In the words of the mayor: “This service has been devised in conjunction with the Hotel and Restaurant Guild of Lloret de Mar with a view to meeting the needs of foreign visitors, who will be able to obtain —quickly and cheaply— the testing certificates that their respective home countries require them to present on their return. We believe this initiative will be an important incentive for visitors who are currently planning their holiday and who may see a destination such as ours, which is striving to make their stay go as smoothly as possible, as an extremely attractive option. Moreover, the service is also made available to our local tourism sector and to local residents who need to be tested.
Enric Dotras, President of the Hotel and Restaurant Guild of Lloret de Mar, stated that “The guild has negotiated a special service at very reasonable prices —52 euros for a PCR test and 20 euros for an antigen test— that will make it possible to get tested in the morning and have the result in the afternoon, in the case of PCR tests, or immediately, in the case of antigen tests. This is a pioneering public-private initiative for a tourist destination in our country, and we believe it could be a most attractive service both for individual travellers and for international tour operators.”
The testing service in Lloret will operate throughout the summer season, from Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 10.30 am, and on Saturday from 8.30 am to 9.30 am. Those who undergo a PCR test will be notified of the result confidentially by email at between 7 pm and 8 pm on the same day the swab is collected. The antigen tests will also be competitively priced, at 20 euros, and the result be available 15 minutes after undergoing the test.
Although the service will generally be provided without any need to book ahead, in the case of large groups, bookings can be made via email or telephone in order to ensure a smooth service.
BEACH PROTOCOL: social distancing, bubbles and smoke-free beaches
The special beach protocol implemented in the summer season of 2020 has been adapted this year in order to bring it into line with the new safety requirements published by the public authorities.
The priority this summer will be to control beach capacity and ensure social distancing between bubbles. As such, this season’s first measure is a new public behaviour campaign in line with the latest healthcare advice (social distancing, facemask and bubbles —family, household, friends…).
Lloret de Mar Town Council will deploy a beach safety and surveillance team throughout July and August, comprising 41 professionals: 28 lifesavers, nine lifeguards and four tourist information officers stationed on beaches, who will assist visitors and explain prevention measures.
Moreover, these professionals will carry out the active monitoring of the occupancy of beaches and coves. In the case of Lloret and Fenals beaches, they will have the support of a video surveillance system comprising IP cameras supplied by Telefónica, which detect occupancy levels and provide hourly updates: https://www.lloret.cat/seccions/aforament-de-platges/platges_info
Additional signs have been placed on smoke-free beaches. On Lloret Beach there are various smoke-free sections: the kids’ club area, Sa Caravera and Sa Caleta. On Fenals Beach, Punta Garbí has been designated as a smoke-free zone. At Canyelles Cove, Sa Somera is the designated smoke-free zone, while Boadella Cove and Treumal Cove have been designated as 100% smoke-free beaches.
“THE NEW HYGIENE” PROGRAMME – Training of workers in COVID-19 protocols
In June, Lloret de Mar Town Council and Lloret Turisme (local tourist board) have completed the sessions of the new COVID-19 prevention training plan, a free plan aimed at professionals of the tourism sector. This year’s plan is an updated version of the COVID-19 training programme offered in 2020. In the words of Cristian Fernàndez, Councillor for the Operational Plan for the Tourism Reconversion of Lloret de Mar, “With the renewal of this training plan, we’re showing our sustained commitment to being the safest destination possible, where continuous training plays an important role.”
Nearly 400 workers have taken part in this second edition of the training plan.
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PLAN
In the winter and spring of 2021, over the course of five months, Lloret Turisme (the local tourist board), together with the Hotel and Restaurant Guild of Lloret de Mar and Growtur, a tourism innovation company, have implemented the Digital Transformation Plan of Lloret de Mar, with the participation of 70 professionals —who between them manage 62% of the hotel bed places, 30% of the apartment bed places and 50% of the campsite bed places in the municipality— and four travel agencies.
This project has accelerated the digitalisation of the sector, as well as facilitating the use of new technologies to develop COVID-19 safety protocols. Examples include improved check-in and check-out processes, queue management at mealtimes, the booking of hotel services or the improvement of internal processes. The automation of routine processes makes it possible to improve customer assistance and, consequently, the visitor’s experience.
LLORET DRONE FESTIVAL – A unique show in Spain
Lloret de Mar will be the first Spanish destination to create a drone show in festival format, taking place throughout the season. The inaugural Lloret Drone Festival will feature a choreographed show featuring 100 drones, lighting up the night sky of Lloret de Mar Beach, accompanied by music. The theme of the show —related to the town of Lloret de Mar and its seafaring roots— will be kept secret until the big night itself: 2 July.
The Lloret Drone Festival will take place every Friday in July and August at 10.30 pm and can be enjoyed from the seafront of Lloret Beach. Jordi Orobitg, Councillor for Economic Development and for the Operational Plan for the Tourism Reconversion of Lloret de Mar, has highlighted that “This will be an amazing show based entirely on the very latest technological developments. But it’s also an environmentally friendly show, since it doesn’t generate any waste, and it’s much safer than other events such as fireworks displays.”
LLORET NATURE SUMMER
In order to encourage outdoor activities in the summer months, Lloret Turisme (the local tourist board) is once again organising the Lloret Nature Summer programme, packed with sports and family-friendly activities for exploring nature in Lloret de Mar at extremely competitive prices. Guided open-water swimming excursions, snorkelling routes, stand-up paddleboarding and stand-up paddleboard yoga can all be enjoyed in June, July and August.
The Beach Activity Programme will once again take place at Lloret and Fenals beaches, with free sports activities, the kids’ club, the beach library service and the baby area.
Culture will play a leading role again this summer, with guided visits such as the Indiano route —including a tour of the Can Font house-museum—, the Maritime Museum – The Last Daiquiri route, or a visit to Santa Clotilde Gardens. Some of these routes are accompanied by music, such as the live performance of havaneres (colonial sea shanties) at Santa Clotilde Gardens. Meanwhile, the Lloret Outdoor Summer Festival will offer outdoor music, theatre and dance in special venues across Lloret de Mar, while in August the Som de Mar music festival takes place in Santa Clotilde Gardens.