Expat business owners on Spain’s Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca fear surviving coronavirus crisis only to face defeat in economic war

EMPTY: The normally bustling Benidorm is like a ghost town CREDIT: Ayuntamiento de Benidorm Facebook @ayuntamientodebenidorm

EXPAT business owners on Spain’s Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca are like everyone else in the country fighting to survive the coronavirus crisis. But many are terrified they will come out the other end of the health emergency dark tunnel only to be plunged straight into a desperate battle against financial ruin.

Just this week the Spanish central bank predicted the country’s economy is likely to shrink between 6.8 and 12.4 per cent this year, and the economic shock created by the lockdown could see unemployment climb to more than 21 per cent.

The government is now talking about a gradual de-escalation of the restrictions, and there are hopes some non-essential services will be allowed to reopen their doors in the not too distant future. But great uncertainly remains, especially over when the tourism and hospitality sectors will be allowed to get back up and running again, leaving ex-pat owners of bars, restaurants, hotels and many other kinds of businesses facing a very bleak outlook.

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Written by

Cathy Elelman

Cathy Elelman is the local writer for the Costa de Almeria edition of the Euro Weekly News.

Based in Mojacar for the last 21 years, Cathy is very much part of the local community and is always well and truly up on all the latest news and events going on in this region of Spain.

Her top goals are to do the best job she can informing the local English-speaking community, visitors to the area and the wider world about about the news in Almeria, to learn something new every day, and to embrace very new challenge this fast-changing world brings her way.

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