“People certainly want to travel, especially after a period of prolonged isolation” – interview with Albert Lucia, owner of the Lucia Guesthouse from Sfântu Gheorghe
As the next stop for the Visit Covasna Safe Place campaign, we visited the Lucia Guesthouse, where we asked Albert Lucia, the owner of the settlement, to tell us about how the restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic affected their activity, how they managed to get through this harsh period and about how they are preparing for the reopening of the guesthouse.
What kind of measures did you take because of the coronavirus, and how did it affect the guesthouse, in spite that is closed now?
Unfortunately, tourism is going through a difficult period, with travel and tourism being the most affected sectors in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic. Hotel accommodation services were not suspended for the duration of the emergency state, but we are still unable to operate due to traffic restrictions as we do not have clients. At the same time, we did constant maintenance, like general cleaning, replacements, flowers, gardening – we have a small garden in the back. The jam served to customers is made from our own fruits, there are raspberries, red and black currants – we had to deal with all this. In addition, the most important is to have disinfectant in every room, not just at the entrance. We are currently working on these. Of course, we were affected by this situation, because I also had to send a person to technical unemployment, and then I had to pay the costs, because they are not canceled, only postponed, and I do not want problems. Since January, we’ve been paying the taxes, the expenses, and the salaries – I pay up to date them from the money we’ve saved so far.
Are you preparing for the opening? What kind of regulations did you introduce?
All regulations introduced are to protect our clients, and we are awaiting them, of course. We also want to continue serving breakfast, but also with increased attention to social distancing, with appointments. We will agree with customers to come at different times, such as half an hour apart. In addition, we have recently bought all kinds of disinfectants, gloves, masks, non-contact thermometers, an entrance disinfectant mat, to protect the guests we are awaiting, and also ourselves.
What do you think about the future? Can positive changes be expected for tourism in Covasna County?
Currently, the future is unpredictable, it all depends on what decisions the authorities make to ease restrictions, we expect the canceling of the travel restrictions and open borders so that we can re-receive clients, both for tourism and professional purposes; thus, this sector could finally take a breath, despite the fact that companies are facing a revenue shortfall that will extend even next year. I’m optimistic, I don’t believe in this virus, I know it exists, but I don’t think it would be so aggressive, I think all this it’s about something else. People certainly want to travel, especially after a period of prolonged isolation. We welcome them with love, delicacies and beautiful surroundings, the whole country is beautiful, but our region is the most beautiful.
