DINING OUT
Majorca holiday warning as Brits face huge restaurant bills this summer
BRITS heading for Majorca have been warned they face bigger bills in restaurants and pubs as a result of soaring overheads for owners.
It comes just days after Brits were told their Spanish holidays could be cancelled due to problems with hotel building works being behind schedule.
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The cost of a meal out in the Spanish region could rise by as much as 15 per cent, according to local business representatives.
A shortage of commodities used to prepare dishes, such as olive oil, has been caused by a haulage strike in the country.
The alert has been raised by the Mallorca restaurant group CAEB and the Association of Restaurants, Arema.
CAEB president, Alfonso Robledo says the cost of raw materials has soared by 30 per cent but at the moment, not all of this is being passed on to the consumer because of increased demands on their own holiday budgets.
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However, restaurants in Majorca are having to raise their prices between ten and 15 per cent to cope with the increased costs.
Arema president Jaume Colombás said restaurants were having to modify their menus as they could not afford to offer the same dishes at the prices of a few weeks ago, although they were very aware of the difficulty this could cause diners.
"The first thing that citizens cut when they have less money is leisure," he said.
Products hardest hit are sunflower and olive oil, milk, butter and meat.
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In addition to the rising prices and shortages caused by the haulage strike, restaurants are facing massively increased electricity hikes, with some establishments facing bills of €4,000 rather than the €1,600 of just a few months ago.
Rentals have also risen 6.5 per cent while a number of restaurants have opted to close a few days during the week, generally on Mondays and Tuesdays, to save on staff costs.
The haulage strike is also causing supply problems with the delivery of fish, wines and high-end champagne.
Restaurants want the issue solved with urgency as the spin-off effects will, they say, be very serious.
Mr Robledo said many of the restaurants had not yet recovered from the pandemic which forced them to close for months and to endure harsh restrictions, as well as to make important investments - such as air monitors - to be able to reopen.
Hotel prices have also risen in response to increased demand for Spain holidays as Brits avoid going to eastern Europe over Easter due to the Ukraine war.
According to new data from tourism intelligence platform hotel prices in Spain have risen by 14 per cent for three-star hotels, four per cent for four-star hotels, and nine per cent for five-star hotels, when compared to 2019 prices.
And 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.
As a consequence, there are shortages of building materials available, so some Spanish hotels are unable to progress with refurbishment plans.
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There is some good news for Spanish holidaymakers, with the Canary Islands scrapping all Covid restrictions from tomorrow.
And Spain has changed its entry requirements to allow unvaccinated Brits who recently recovered from Covid to enter.
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