The UK Government website has updated it’s travel guide for Britons who are traveling to Spain with advice suggesting that they may encounter riots and violence in large cities.
According to the British government, in Spain “demonstrations, political meetings or marches can take place with little or no warning, especially in the major cities”. For this reason, they advise travellers to follow the instructions of “the police and local authorities”.
They also warn that although the vast majority of demonstrations are peaceful, “there is a risk of isolated disturbances or violence,” urging everyone to quickly move away from areas where demonstrations are taking place, particularly if there are signs of disorder.
The Sun Newspaper has explained that the concerns of the Foreign Office are due to the demonstrations of “thousands of Spanish citizens, who have been taking part in protests across the country demanding increases in salaries and pensions in line with inflation.”
The information refers mainly to Madrid, where they say that “people took to the streets to express their complaints against the worsening of the cost of living crisis.”
But they also warn of pro-independence marches in Barcelona, in which “activists block the city’s airport and main roads.”
In addition, the newspaper states that “tourists should bear in mind that the picturesque cities of Barcelona and Madrid can be quite different right now “. A warning that seems somewhat alarmist and far from reality.
It is not the first time that the British government and the English press have put Spain in the spotlight, with less than positive advice.
When there are problems in the United Kingdom, the focus is often shifted to other countries, and on many occasions the emphasis is Spain. But, the warning from the government rarely has little impact 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 alarmist articles on more than one occasion, often echoing in a twisted way things that happen, like every time a blue shark appears on a beach in Benidorm, they liken the situation to a horror movie, or when Spain introduces measures that have any affect, no matter how minor.
Recently, however, it has been the British Government has launched recommendations to be careful in cities like Madrid or Barcelona due to the current situation, but it is the tabloids that have once again dramatized it as a negative message.
But what does the tourism sector think about this news? As has been the case on many other occasions, they have played down the issue because, they say that British tourists know Benidorm as a safe destination very well, as they increasingly treat articles produced in the British press with contempt.
The general secretary of the Hosbec Hotel Managers Association, Nuria Montes spoke of it as “a very generic alert” made by the British Government. Besides which it is focussed in the big cities. “Those who come to Benidorm and the Costa Blanca feel very safe” adding that “there have been no cancellations in this regard.”
The tourism sector is clear that the Britons who choose Benidorm or the Costa Blanca do so based on their own information and on their own experiences at the destination. Thus, the fact that the British press will sometimes overdramatise seems to no longer to permeate with them. And the data corroborates it: the British are still the majority group in Benidorm and still one of the main international buyers of Spanish property. According to the latest data from Hosbec, the Spanish market accounts for 46.8% compared to 53.2% for the international market. Of the total, 40.9% are from the United Kingdom.
