Almost three million letters (2,853,985) will be sent, with an average of about 200,000 sent per day.

The marketing of these trips will begin in less than a month and will be done in two phases, between September 23 and 24 and 25 and 26, depending on the autonomous communities, according to Turismo Social, the Ávoris Corporación Empresarial company awarded the management of this program.

Pensioners will be able to book their trip to destinations on the peninsular coast, island coast or short break tourism through authorised travel agencies using only their ID or through the Imserso Social Tourism Programme website, entering their ID and accreditation code.

This year, the Imserso offers the same number of places as last season, 886,269.

Imserso emphasises that these trips generate employment and significant economic activity in the country, with the added advantage that this programme has become a tool to alleviate the seasonality of the tourism sector, as it prevents the loss of many jobs in the low season.

These trips also “promote social networks among users, and this is essential to prevent loneliness,” says Mayte Sancho, general director of the institute, part of the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030.

Taking into account that, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), 41.7% of people who live alone in Spain are 65 years old or older, one of the priorities of the program “is to strengthen the social relationships that are woven between users and thus achieve a positive impact on their lives,” adds Sancho.