Spain holiday warning as hotels poised to cancel pre-booked trips due to strikes
BRITS with Spanish holidays booked this summer have been warned some hotels may be forced to cancel guests due to strikes.
There are currently strikes taking place in Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca, as lorry drivers protest against high fuel prices and poor working conditions.
As a consequence, there are shortages of building materials available, so some Spanish hotels are unable to progress with refurbishment plans.
If the strikes continue, hotels may be forced to suspend building work, which could mean they won't be able to open as scheduled and will have to cancel pre-booked holidays.
Antonio Mayor, president of the Benidorm-based hotel association
Hosbec, said: "There are at least half a dozen hotels in our area that are being refurbished completely in the run-up to the summer.
"As it's been a few days now since the last deliveries of cement, this work is on the verge of having to be suspended.
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"If it's not fixed soon it's going to compromise the end date of the work and, therefore, the reopening dates, and that could end up affecting existing holiday bookings.
"That's one of the reasons why the government needs to adopt measures to alleviate the huge rise in the price of fuel on transport costs and it needs to act quickly.
"It would be a huge blow if there were problems because after the struggles of the last two years with Covid, British tourism has become very noticeable in places like Benidorm and now represents 40 per cent of all the tourists staying here.
"They are figures we've been wanting to see for a long time."
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It's not just building materials that are in short supply - food shortages are rife in the popular holiday resorts.
Nine days of strikes have led to shortages of meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, and hotels are concerned they won't be able to feed their guests.
Javier Hernandez, executive vice-president of Costa del Sol hotel
association Aehcos, said: “It’s an issue that worries us a lot.
"If this continues the way it is, we'll have serious supply problems in basic perishable products."
That's not the only bad news for Brits with Spanish holiday plans this summer.
Spain's tourism chief Fernando Valdés warned that if the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, it could prompt flight prices to increase.
At a press conference, he said he feared the conflict in Ukraine will push oil prices up so high that airlines will begin passing the cost onto customers, causing flight prices to become too expensive for tourists to travel to Spain.
Additionally, Mr Valdés warned the war could have long-term effects on tourism, as oil prices lessens people's disposable income, and some people get too nervous to travel.
He said: "It is still early to anticipate what the impact of the war conflict may be on our tourism sector."
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Meanwhile, Brits planning on heading to Spain for their next holiday have been warned of a new scam targeting tourists.
The scam sees someone throw liquid onto tourists before telling them they have bird poo on them, and as the person offers to clean the tourist up, they steal their bank cards and wallet.
