The President of the Córdoba Provincial Council, Salvador Fuentes, participated today at the headquarters of the Confederation of Businessmen of Córdoba (CECO) in a working meeting with the tourism sector to analyze the consequences of the interruption of the railway connection between Córdoba and Madrid, caused by the Urda accident, and to propose actions to minimize its economic impact. The meeting was attended by the president of CECO, Antonio Díaz, the mayor of Córdoba, José María Bellido, and the delegate of the Junta de Andalucía government, Adolfo Molina, along with sector representatives.
Fuentes lamented that the province is once again facing a similar situation after the Adamuz accident, whose consequences had already affected the tourism sector. "This cannot happen twice in one year," he stated, recalling that "the serious issue is the victims and the tragedy it represents for them," while emphasizing the need for swift action to reduce the economic repercussions of this new railway disruption.
The provincial representative warned of the deterioration of the railway service's image and its consequences for tourism. "The reputational image of the province of Córdoba and of Spain with the AVE is at rock bottom. This is absolutely inconceivable," he pointed out. Fuentes indicated that the sector's concern extends beyond the upcoming Christmas campaign to medium-term tourism, mentioning a videoconference with the Secretary General of Tourism of the Junta de Andalucía, Manuel Alejandro Lara León, during the World Travel Market in London, to address the impact on tourist bookings.
"We are already receiving the first news from London, which is quite worrying," the president noted, warning of a potential drop in short and medium-term bookings in Andalusia. He recalled that Cordoban tourism had begun to show signs of recovery in September, making this new interruption "another blow" to the sector.
Faced with this scenario, Fuentes reiterated the proposal to establish a "Madrid-Córdoba air bridge" and to study strengthening road connections with Seville and Malaga to facilitate visitor arrivals. He also proposed a tourism promotion campaign to encourage visits to Córdoba during the upcoming Christmas season.
According to Fuentes, these solutions must be addressed through coordination between administrations and public-private collaboration, considering the needs of a sector that generates employment and wealth. He stressed the need for the working group to quickly define "useful, effective, and efficient measures" and that "the first step is to listen to the sector," arguing that solutions should stem from the proposals of tourism entrepreneurs.
