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BREXIT

Brits returning to Spain in New Year warned to carry residency proof

Travellers from the UK look set to be included in the EU's ban on non-essential travel after the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31st and those travelling ‘home’ for Christmas been advised to carry proof of residency in Spain to ensure a smooth return in the New Year.

Published: 16 December 2020 11:45 CET
Brits returning to Spain in New Year warned to carry residency proof
Photo: AFP
 

At present the EU's external borders are closed to non-essential travel for all countries apart from those on the short list of 'safe' countries but travel within EU however, is allowed for any reason – taking into account individual countries' lockdowns and rules on quarantine/testing for new arrivals.

However, once the Brexit transition period ends on December 31, the UK will become a 'third country', not part of the EU or the Schengen zone, and its citizens will not be automatically entitled to enter the EU.

It will mean that only those travelling for essential journeys, which includes returning to your place of habitual residence, or work reasons will be allowed to enter the EU unless the UK’s coronavirus infection rates drop to below a certain level and can be added to the safe list.

There is a chance that the EU could make a concession and allow the UK as an exception but no decision has yet been taken to do so.

As a precaution the British Embassy in Madrid posted a notice on its Facebook page urging those living in Spain who may be returning to the UK over Christmas to ensure they carry residency documents to ensure they can get back in Spain.

“As some of you will be travelling to the UK for Christmas, we wanted to advise anyone who is travelling to prepare for your return to Spain by carrying your residency documents (the green certificate or the new TIE card) with you, which accredit your residency in Spain,” it said.

And for those who don’t yet have those certificates or TIE card and maybe in the process of applying, the message continued:

“If you live in Spain, but do not yet have these documents, we advise you to travel with any documentation demonstrating that you are a resident, for example: the positive outcome of your residency application, the demonstration that you have applied for residency or any other documentation with you that shows that you are a resident in Spain such as a work contract, tenancy agreement or padron certificate.”

As some of you will be travelling to the UK for Christmas, we wanted to advise anyone who is travelling to prepare for…

Posted by Brits in Spain on Monday, 14 December 2020

British travellers have also been warned to ensure that they have adequate health insurance for trips after January 1st as the EHIC card which guaranteed health care across the EU will no longer be valid.

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TOURISM

How much more expensive will holidays in Spain be this summer?

Whether it be hotel prices rising or shortages in the aviation sector making flights more expensive, a summer vacation in Spain this year is likely to cost more than last year.

Published: 25 April 2024 09:13 CEST
How much more expensive will holidays in Spain be this summer?

With lingering inflation, drought conditions, rising rents and building social tension surrounding the impact of mass tourism on Spanish society, summer 2024 could be an eventful one in Spain for a number of reasons.

It will probably also be more expensive than it was in the past, especially if you’re staying in a hotel or tourist apartment.

This follows a bumper Easter period that saw high occupancy and price rises across the country, and if forecasts and industry experts are anything to go by, it’s a trend that will continue into the summer season.

READ ALSO: ‘The island can’t take it anymore’: Why Tenerife is rejecting mass tourism

Hotel prices March increased by 10 percent compared to the same period in 2023, and have now experienced 34 consecutive months of price increases.

The average hotel room in Spain during March cost €109.2 per night, according to Hotel Tourism Situation data published by Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE).

How much more expensive will flights to Spain be this summer?

Firstly, flights. Aviation industry experts suggest that a perfect storm of conditions could cause the price of flights to increase for summer 2024. A shortage of commercial planes, caused mainly by a combination of problems on Boeing’s production line and Airbus having difficulties with engine manufacturers, will likely drive up prices around the world.

These “are factors that don’t make it easy for prices to fall,” according to Pere Suau, professor of Economics and Business Studies at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, who admitted that “it is difficult to measure the extent to which” they will go up. The key, in Suau’s opinion, is to see how demand will be affected by price rises. “As of today prices are rising, but demand is tolerating it, demand continues to grow,” he adds.

Reports in the Spanish media suggest that prices on budget airlines like Ryanair could rise by around 10 percent.

READ ALSO: EasyJet opens Spanish base in Alicante with ten new routes

How much more expensive will hotels in Spain be this summer?

So, flights will likely be more expensive this year. But what about hotels?

It’s difficult to say exactly by how much hotel prices will have risen by summer, but most estimates put it at somewhere in the 8-12 percent range, depending on factors such as location, occupancy, type of accommodation (ie. is it luxury or budget) and length of stay.

However, despite that, most experts seem to think the price rises will be slightly less than the 2023-23 year-on-year increases, when average hotel room costs shot up by 16.5 percent, according to statistics from SRT and Cushman & Wakefield.

Albert Grau, partner at Cushman & Wakefield’s Hospitality department in Spain, told El Periódico de España that: ‘We expect there to continue to be growth in prices… although it will be more moderate, in single digits, compared to the large increase in the last year.”

Spanish news outlet La Sexta reports that hotel rooms in the summer will be on average 11 percent more than last year, according to figures from INE and Travelgate.

Forecasts by American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) put Barcelona, long a popular tourist destination, among European cities where a significant increase in hotel prices is expected, with a projected rise of 9 percent. Other Spanish cities, such as Bilbao and Valencia, are forecast to see price jumps of around 8.5 percent.

In Andalusia, hotel sector insiders in Andalusia are expecting a 7 percent increase overall this summer, according to Trinitario Bertore, director of Hotel Plaza Nueva in Granada, who spoke to La Sexta. Bertore said a night’s stay in a hotel in Andalusia can now cost up to €210, a 7 percent rise compared to last summer.

José Luis Contreras, managing director of Apartamentos Valencia Costera, said prices in tourist flats in Valencia will also rise by around 7 percent and even reach an eye-watering €350 per night in the high season.

Both Bertore and Contreras said that there’s no need to lower prices because demand is increasing, despite the per night rate increases.

It seems clear that accommodation will likely be a more expensive for summer 2024 in Spain than it was last year, though the year-on-year rise will slow slightly. Most forecasts put the average expected hotel price rises at roughly 10-11 percent overall.

By exactly how much will depend on several factors: where you’re staying, and whether it’s a traditional tourist spot such as parts of Andalusia, Alicante, Valencia or the Canary and Balearic Islands; whether it’s a hotel or apartment; the quality of the accommodation; how long you’re staying; how far in advance you book; when exactly in the summer season you’ll visit Spain.

Aviation industry uncertainty also means that flights will become more expensive, so both travel and accommodation are likely to be more expensive in Spain this summer.

Tourism makes up a significant portion of Spain’s GDP. Predicted tourism earnings for 2024 are expected to bring in €202.65 billion, an 8.6 percent increase on 2023, a record year.

However, growing anti-mass tourism sentiment has been bubbling in Spanish society for some time now, with protests in various cities around the country decrying the impact, among other things, of Spain’s tourism model on the local housing market.

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