PortAventura will reopen on July 8 at 30% capacity
Theme park invests €4m in safety measures with masks obligatory on rides
PortAventura World will reopen on July 8 with new Covid-19 safety measures, such as reducing the overall capacity to 30%.
The theme park, near Salou in the south of Catalonia, has invested some four million euros in its 25th anniversary season aimed at preventing coronavirus outbreaks.
Upon entering, visitors' temperatures will be monitored. The company has installed a large tent with thermal cameras through which everyone will have to pass. An operator will see the images through a monitor, and if someone has a temperature above 37.5 degrees, they will be advised to go to a nearby medical center to be tested for Covid-19.
The use of face masks will be mandatory throughout the park, including on any rides, visitors will have to wash their hands with disinfectant gel, and safety distancing will be enforced while queuing.
Four of the resort's six hotels are to open initially, with their capacity curbed to between 60% and 80%.
Fernando Aldecoa, CEO of PortAventura World, said that this will be an "atypical season" and stressed that this year they would be especially reliant on visitors from Catalonia and Spain, to make up for the decline in international tourism.
The park's shows will not resume until September, and the Caribe Aquatic Park will remain closed this year.
In 2019, PortAventura World saw a record number of visitors, exceeding five million for the first time. This year, in light of the global pandemic, Aldecoa says he aims to "focus on the experience and safety of customers," adding that they have not made visitor forecasts for the season.