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TOURISM

What tourists in Spain should know if they are caught up in a new coronavirus outbreak

As the number of outbreaks of COVID-19 grew across Spain, regional authorities were imposing restrictions and localised lockdowns. Here is what tourists can do if they find themselves caught themselves in the middle of an outbreak.

Published: 15 July 2020 17:08 CEST
What tourists in Spain should know if they are caught up in a new coronavirus outbreak
AFP

Can I leave an area if a lockdown is imposed?

As in Lleida and Lugo, where lockdowns have been imposed, the authorities gave a margin of time for non-residents and tourists to leave the affected area. However, the decision depends on each of Spain's 17 regional governments. They will judge it according to the level of infection.

What should I do if I leave an area which has been put on lockdown?

Health authorities recommend tourists remain alert to any signs of symptoms and maintain social distancing. Symptoms include coughing, difficulty breathing and high temperature.

Do authorities have special areas for tourists to stay if they test positive for coronavirus?

Each regional authority must provide a place for tourists to stay if they test positive. In some cases, these are hotels, sports areas or conference halls which have been made available to the authority.

What happens if I have an apartment or hotel reserved and I cannot go there because of COVID-19?

Tourists are entitled to protection under the law, according to Rubén Sánchez, spokesman for the consumers' group Facua. “If for any reason someone cannot take advantage of a reservation, they have the right to get their money back if it is linked to the pandemic. They do not have to accept vouchers.”

What happens if the hotel or travel company cancels the reservation? Do you have a right to get all your money back?

If the company has to cancel the booking because it is related to coronavirus, the situation is similar. – it must return all the money, said Mr Sánchez. However, if an airline has to cancel a flight because there are not enough passengers and it notifies the client less than 14 days before the flight, customers are also entitled to compensation.

How long are the localised lockdowns lasting?

It depends on the evolution of the infection. In Segria in western Catalonia, because cases have risen, the lockdown could last two weeks or more. In A Mariña, in northern Spain, as the number of infections is descending, it is expected to last five days.

If you cannot work from home during a localised lockdown, what do you do?

Employers must provide letters if you must travel outside the lockdown zone to prove that you need to enter and return to the area.  

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TRAVEL NEWS

Why are fewer British tourists visiting Spain this year?

Almost 800,000 fewer UK holidaymakers have visited Spain in 2023 when compared to 2019. What’s behind this big drop?

Published: 23 August 2023 11:36 CEST
Updated: 26 August 2023 18:32 CEST
Why are fewer British tourists visiting Spain this year?

Spain welcomed 12.2 million UK tourists between January and July 2023, 6 percent less when compared to the same period in 2019, according to data released on Monday by Spanish tourism association Turespaña.

This represents a decrease of 793,260 British holidaymakers for Spain so far this year.

Conversely, the number of Italian (+8 percent), Irish (+15.3 percent), Portuguese (+24.8 percent), Dutch (+4 percent) and French tourists (+5 percent) visiting España in 2023 are all above the rates in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. 

German holidaymakers are together with their British counterparts the two main nationalities showing less interest in coming to Spanish shores.

Britons still represent the biggest tourist group that comes to Spain, but it’s undergoing a slump, with another recent study by Caixabank Research suggesting numbers fell particularly in June 2023 (-12.5 percent of the usual rate). 

READ ALSO: Spain fully booked for summer despite most expensive holiday prices ever

So are some Britons falling out of love with Spain? Are there clear reasons why a holiday on the Spanish coast is on fewer British holiday itineraries?

According to Caixabank Research’s report, the main reasons are “the poor macroeconomic performance of the United Kingdom, the sharp rise in rates and the weakness of the pound”.

This is evidenced in the results of a survey by British market research company Savanta, which found that one in six Britons are not going on a summer holiday this year due to the UK’s cost-of-living crisis.

Practically everything, everywhere has become more expensive, and that includes holidays in Spain: hotel stays are up 44 percent, eating out is 13 percent pricier, and flights are 40 percent more on average. 

READ ALSO: How much more expensive is it to holiday in Spain this summer?

Caixabank stressed that another reason for the drop in British holidaymakers heading to Spain is that those who can afford a holiday abroad are choosing “more competitive markets” such as Turkey, Greece and Portugal. 

And there’s no doubt that the insufferably hot summer that Spain is having, with four heatwaves so far, has also dissuaded many holidaymakers from Blighty from overcooking in the Spanish sun. 

With headlines such as “This area of Spain could become too hot for tourists” or “tourists say it’s too hot to see any sights” featuring in the UK press, budding British holidaymakers are all too aware of the suffocating weather conditions Spain and other Mediterranean countries are enduring. 

Other UK outlets have urged travellers to try out the cooler Spanish north rather than the usual piping hot Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol destinations.

Another UK poll by InsureandGo found that 71 percent of the 2,000+ British respondents thought that parts of Europe such as Spain, Greece and Turkey will be too hot to visit over summer by 2027.

There’s further concern that the introduction in 2024 of the new (and delayed) ETIAS visa for non-EU visitors, which of course now also applies to UK nationals, could further compel British tourists to choose countries to holiday in rather than Spain.

READ MORE: Will British tourists need to pay for a visa waiver to enter Spain?

However, a drop in the number of British holidaymakers may not be all that bad for Spain, even though they did spend over €17 billion on their Spanish vacations in 2022. 

Towns, cities and islands across the country have been grappling with the problem of overtourism and the consequences it has on everything from quality of life for locals to rent prices. 

READ ALSO: ‘Beach closed’ – Fake signs put up in Spain’s Mallorca to dissuade tourists

The overcrowded nature of Spain’s beaches and most beautiful holiday hotspots appears to be one of the reasons why Germans are visiting Spain in far fewer numbers. A recent report in the country’s most read magazine Stern asked “if the dream is over” in their beloved Mallorca.

Spanish authorities are also seeking to overhaul the cheaper holiday package-driven model that dominates many resorts, which includes moving away from the boozy antics of young British and other European revellers.

Fewer tourists who spend more are what Spain is theoretically now looking for, and the rise in American, Japanese and European tourists other than Brits signify less of a dependence on the British market, one which tends to maintain the country’s tourism status quo for better or for worse.

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