| There are 634 accommodations, between houses and guesthouses, which means 4,209 beds | The counselor Cristina Sánchez chairs a virtual forum on the new challenges of rural tourismThe Region of Murcia has 634 rural accommodations, between houses and guesthouses, which means a total of 4,209 beds, which currently record more than 50 percent of bookings by people who choose this way of tourism for the summer , for the security and confidence it provides them after the crisis caused by COVID-19.The Minister of Tourism, Youth and Sports, Cristina Sánchez, chaired the virtual forum 'Region of Murcia and Rural Tourism: New challenges', which brought together experts and representatives of the rural segment of the Region in order to share strategies aimed at reactivate this type of tourism.
In it, the new challenges that this sector must face in its process of adaptation to the new reality and the importance that the rural environment has gained as a safe, experiential and in contact with nature vacation alternative were addressed.Cristina Sánchez had an impact on the great opportunity presented to rural tourism in the coming months, “which is emerging as the most solid option to relaunch tourism activity in the short term, promoting proximity tourism, respecting social distancing and promoting activities related to healthy tourism far from crowds ”.The counselor indicated that "the data shows that rural reserves have skyrocketed, making many regional establishments have hung the poster completely for the month of July and for the first two weeks of August."During the virtual meeting, the good figures of rural accommodation were highlighted.
The Northwest region concentrates a large part of the offer, reaching 58.4 percent of the regional volume of places.
In the regions of Lorca-Guadalentín and the Valle de Ricote-Vega Alta offer is between 11 percent and 9.1 percent, respectively.In the municipal distribution of accommodation, Caravaca de la Cruz and Moratalla stand out, with 47.2 percent of the establishments and 49.2 percent of the places of this type of accommodation in the Region.The director of the Institute of Tourism of the Region of Murcia, Juan Francisco Martínez also participated in this meeting; the president of the Spanish Association of Rural Tourism, Ventura García; the president of the Federation of Rural Tourism Associations of the Region of Murcia, Francisco Carreño and the secretary of the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Murcia, Enrique Hernández.Rural houses near the beachCristina Sánchez explained the evolution of the concept of rural houses after the approval by the Governing Council on April 23 of the decree that regulates its activity in the Region, which broadens the range of possibilities for clients and professionalizes the sector.The new regulations allow these establishments to be shared with their owners or with other guests, in case the accommodation has multiple rooms; It implements five categories instead of a single one and eliminates the obligation that rural houses must be located more than five kilometers from the coast."With the approval of this decree, the map of rural accommodation is expanded, since the Region now has rural houses both inland and along its coastline, which provides a benefit to the owners of these accommodations in coastal areas" , saidThe counselor had an impact on the return of this tourism, which last year was the one that registered the greatest increase in travelers in the destination, 11.8 percent to 56,850.
Thus, the Region of Murcia was the second Spanish community in which the number of rural tourists grew the most, only behind Navarra with 17.1 percent.