Nina Chausow
BRITISH tourists are setting their sights back on Spain after the UK government warned against traveling to Tunisia.
The government’s recommendation left over 300,000 British looking for alternatives to their Tunisia plans, following June’s terrorist massacre.
Furthermore, due to the tenuous economic situation in Greece, Brits have also turned away from traveling to Greece, and have instead chosen to ride the wave of a shaky euro into Spain.
In 2014, nearly a quarter of Spain’s tourists were British, reaching near record levels at over 14 million visitors.
The increase in tourism has also been shown through higher levels of airport traffic, up 3.7% in Spanish airports from this month last year.
However, there are also rising anxieties about terrorism in Spain itself.
Following the hotel beach attacks in Sousse, Tunisia, the Spanish Home Secretary raised the terrorist threat level from a three to a four, on a five-point scale, indicating a ‘high’ risk for attack.
Go to Portugal, it’s far more pleasant and welcoming. The people there are actually educated, unlike the majority of Spaniards.
Tunisia and Greece’s loss are definitely Spain’s gain, it is busier now than it has been for years and not just in restaurants etc. We have seen a huge increase in lorries, delivery vans and hire cars – it seems very sudden and no doubt helped by the (very welcome) lower petrol prices as well as higher demand for goods and services. Apparently more flights are being scheduled to accommodate the thousands of people who have had to amend their bookings and relocate.
I do feel sorry for the Tunisians, they have worked hard to make a go of their tourism industry only to have it wiped out by a bunch of lunatics.
For now Tunisia’s loss will be Spain’s gain as well as other Med countries, however the insidious Isis have previously boasted about entering Andalucia and onwards. Not difficult really with the two Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Mellila in Morocco plus boat loads of migrants being run by people smugglers who in Libya are controlled by Isis. How many of their numbers are on board a boat carrying several hundred migrants, who could tell a genuine refugee from a terrorist, same goes for the rest of Europe!!