Changes in Imserso travel booking: how they will affect you

BarcelonaChanges in the system for booking places for Imserso, the social tourism program for pensioners. Until now, interested parties could book a place on one of the subsidized trips from their town hall thanks to the agreement between the public body and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), signed in 1989. The agreement has fallen and pensioners will have to process their application through one of the travel agencies linked to Imserso, as ARA has learned.

The change takes effect from this season, 2026/27. In statements to ARA, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs assures that "in no case will it be detrimental" to the users of the program. "It does not imply a restriction of access, but a modification of the intermediation model," it argues.

People who until now carried out the procedure through their town halls are not excluded from the initiative because they are already in the Imserso database, and they will receive individualized communications at their homes. The Spanish government has committed that, even if the agreement with the FEMP municipalities falls, there will continue to be "accessible, sufficient, and non-digital channels".

Questions in Congress

The government of Pedro Sánchez has not publicly commented on the change. In response to this newspaper, it explains that the agreement with local administrations has been terminated because it no longer adapts to the changes in public sector law. Consequently, it argues that "it is not a discretionary rescission or a change of criteria, but a direct consequence of the current legal framework."

Deputies from the Popular Party asked Congress about the matter on June 2, after city councils and provincial councils received letters notifying them of the termination of the agreement. Among other things, they want to know when it fell, if there are legal reports that support the decision, if they tried to adapt the agreements to the new law, and why they did not promote a new one.

The federation of municipalities initially expressed concern that the fact that city councils no longer assist in management could accentuate the digital divide and hinder access to the program for some pensioners. However, the FEMP and the ministry met in July to seek "mechanisms for joint collaboration" –according to municipal sources–, such as offering information and helping to submit applications.

The keys to the season

At the beginning of June, Imserso opened 879,213 places to travel throughout Spain between this autumn and the beginning of next summer. The marketing of the trips will begin in September, but to be eligible, interested parties must first be registered as beneficiaries of the Tourism program.

To be included in the list of recipients, pensioners could submit their application until July 10, although the official body assures that they will open other periods. Those who have already participated in a trip do not need to re-register.

From the second fortnight of August, beneficiaries will receive a letter with the accreditation code that will allow them to book trips. There are more than 440,000 places for tourism on the peninsular coast, around 228,000 for traveling to the islands – between seven and nine nights, in both cases – and almost 211,000 for short breaks – up to five nights–.