At this meeting, also dedicated to dealing with issues of Tourism and Local Development, the importance of promoting Caravan tourism was discussed, which can be a great economic engine for municipalities.
The Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Murcia held today the meeting of the Commission for Employment, Tourism and Local Development, of which the Mayor of Caravaca, José Francisco García, is president. The majority of its members attended, made up of councillors from the municipalities of the region responsible for these matters. In addition, it had the special participation of Juan Antonio Pedreño, president of the Union of Cooperatives of the Region of Murcia, and two members of AC-MUR, the Association of Caravanists of the region, María José Sánchez and Leonor Mota.
Job vacancies
After approving the minutes of the previous commission, the president of the same has given way to the representative of UCOMUR, who has spoken about the importance of business transformation for the maintenance and recovery of employment in a post-Covid-19 scenario. Pedreño has explained the work carried out by Ucomur to help companies and workers in a difficult situation, as well as the role of cooperativism in a difficult scenario for employment due to the great stoppage caused by the health crisis. In this sense, JA Pedreño has said that, "now the big question is what will happen when the ERTES end and in what situation the companies will be, therefore, the key will be to anticipate to detect this problem and be able to help them from the organizations, with workers being a priority." For this reason, the president of the Union of Cooperatives has commented that "for this, the work of detecting the problem is necessary, for this reason it is important that the closest social agents get involved in knowing the situation of companies and workers, and many of them are in the town councils, and Ucomur will be able to advise and help those who need it."
Likewise, the Secretary General of FMRM Manuel Pato has said that “we are committed to informing all local councils of this formula to prevent or act with the aim of helping local companies that may be in a dangerous situation due to the health crisis.”
For their part, the councillors attending the meeting have expressed their commitment to seek ways of collaboration from the employment portfolios and thus help small and medium-sized businesses and cooperative members.
Motorhomes, a booming sector
The third point on the agenda focused on tourism, a sector that represents a significant percentage of the economy. Specifically, the protagonist has been caravan tourism, undoubtedly booming at present due to the change in mentality and habits motivated by the Covid-19 pandemic. This sector is growing exponentially, having already increased by 30% and with hundreds of people already travelling by motorhome in the region.
To delve deeper into the subject, the members of AC-MUR have explained the current situation of this type of tourism and have called for a greater commitment to it from the municipalities, since it is necessary to create parking lots, positive signage, and the creation of sustainable spaces with green areas for motorhomes.
As Sánchez and Mota explained, “caravan tourism is an interesting economic driver within the sector, since the people who occupy the caravans, whether couples, families or larger groups, spend money in the municipalities they visit, consuming in bars, restaurants, supermarkets, shops, museums and local attractions, therefore, the provision of services to caravaners should be taken more seriously, which ultimately becomes a traveling hotel with a minimum investment, being a sustainable and clean type of tourism.”
The tourism councillors attending the meeting have committed to relaunching this type of tourism in their municipalities because, as they have expressed, they are aware of its growth and the direct benefits it can bring to their towns. Likewise, the FMRM will focus on this issue by encouraging the rest of the municipalities to join in the promotion of this tourist activity.
