The Legal Impacts of COVID-19 in the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Industry

1 Coronavirus and Tourism in Spain: Analysis of the Legislative Provisions to Combat the Pandemic F. Javier Melgosa Arcos 1 Abstract; 1. Introduction; 2. The Legal Framework for Emergency Situations in Spain; 3. Sanitary and Socioeconomic Measures that Affect the Spanish Tourism Sector; 3.1. Cancellation of hotel and restaurant activities; 3.2. Declaration of essential services for specified tourist accommodations; 3.3. Enabling accommodation for sanitary use; 3.4. Help lines: expansion of the Thomas Cook financing line to serve all companies established in Spain included in certain economic sectors; 3.5. Support measures for consumers in package tours; 4. Health Guarantee Protocols and Certifications to Generate Security and Trust; 5. Transition towards the “New Normal”; 6. Final Thoughts; 7. Bibliography. Abstract The pandemic caused by COVID-19 prompted Spain’s Government to declare an alarm status by Royal Decree 453/2020, of 14 March, and with it, the limitation of the freedom of movement of people and a series of measures of containment in different economic activities and, especially, in tourist activity, such as the suspension of the hotel and restaurant activities. However, tourism is a strategic sector, and the State, the regional governments and the rest of public entities have established assistance programs, while focusing their efforts in a double direction: on the one hand, trying to generate a sense of security for tourists and, on the other hand, to aid in the transition to the so-called “new normal” to allow the gradual reactivation of tourist activity. Keywords : Tourism, hotels, restaurants, travels, new normal. 1 jmelgosa@usal.es; University of Salamanca.