The UK government’s website has updated its travel guide for Britons traveling to Spain with advice suggesting they may encounter disorder and violence in major cities.
According to the British government, in Spain “demonstrations, political meetings or marches can take place with little or no warning, especially in the big cities”. For this reason, they advise passengers to follow the instructions of the “police and local authorities”.
They also warn that while the vast majority of protests are peaceful, “there is a risk of isolated disturbances or violence,” and urge everyone to move quickly away from areas where protests are taking place, especially if there are signs of disorder.
The “Sun” newspaper explained that the concerns of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stem from the protests of “thousands of Spanish citizens, who participated in demonstrations across the country demanding that salaries and pensions be raised in line with inflation.”
The information refers mainly to Madrid, where it is said that “people took to the streets to express their complaints against the worsening of the cost of living crisis”.
But they also warn against pro-independence marches in Barcelona, where “activists block the airport and the city’s main roads.”
In addition, the newspaper notes that “tourists should remember that the picturesque cities of Barcelona and Madrid can be completely different now.” A warning that seems a bit alarming and far from reality.
This is not the first time that the British government and the English press have put Spain in the spotlight, with less than favorable advice.
When there are problems in the United Kingdom, the focus is often shifted to other countries, and in many cases the emphasis is on Spain. But, the warning from the government rarely has any effect as many millions continue their travels to Spain, especially to the preferred destinations such as Benidorm or the Costa Blanca.
The British press has been responsible for alarming articles on more than one occasion, often perversely echoing things that are happening, such as whenever a blue shark appears on the beach in Benidorm, they compare the situation to a horror movie, or when Spain. Introduces measures that have some effect, however slight.
However, recently the British government launched recommendations to be careful in cities such as Madrid or Barcelona due to the current situation, but it was the tabloids that again demonstrated this as a negative message.
But what does the tourism sector think about this news? As on many other occasions, they narrowed down the issue because they say British tourists know Benidorm very well as a safe destination, as they increasingly treat articles produced in the British press with disdain.
The general secretary of the Hosbeck Hotel Managers Association, Noria Montes, spoke of this as a “very generic warning” from the British government. Besides, he focuses on the big cities. “Those who come to Benidorm and the Costa Blanca feel very safe” and added that “there were no cancellations in this regard”.
The tourism sector is clear that the Brits who choose Nidorm or Costa Blanca do so based on their own information and their own experiences of the destination. Thus, it seems that the fact that the British press will sometimes over-dramatize no longer penetrates them. And the data confirms it: the British are still the majority group in Benidorm. According to Hosbec’s latest data, the Spanish market accounts for 46.8% compared to 53.2% in the international market. Of the total, 40.9% are from Great Britain.
