Survey reveals how Covid-19 has drastically changed Spain’s attitudes from spending on holidays to socialising in bars & restaurants from Costa del Sol to Costa Blanca

A recent survey carried out by EY-Parthenon has revealed that Covid-19 has significantly changed Spanish attitudes, particularly towards spending money on holidays, travel and socialising in bars and restaurants.

THANKS to low-cost airlines, Spanish residents were travelling internationally a lot more prior to the coronavirus pandemic. However, Covid-19 has put a stop to that. More than half of Spaniards have now ruled out a summer holiday this year, particularly to overseas destinations. Those that do plan a break (around 41 per cent) are looking at national options, closer to home instead.

Many of those that are reluctant to travel, say that are “waiting for a vaccine for life return to life to normal”, according to the survey. In fact, 36 per cent of Spaniards now refuse to fly, 27 per cent won’t take a train and 23 per cent are refusing to stay in a hotel until a Covid-19 vaccine has been found.

By region, Galicians and Andalucians are the most pessimistic about travelling, with 56 per cent and 53 per cent of residents, respectively, completely ruling out a holiday altogether this summer, followed by Catalonia (49 per cent), the Basque Country (48 per cent), Castilla and León (47 per cent) and Valencia (47 per cent).

Not everyone, however, is ruling travel out completely – particularly those that live in the capital of the country. Surprisingly, Spaniards in Madrid, are the most optimistic about holidays, with six out of 10 planning to travel outside of Spain this summer, despite Covid-19.

In fact, when it comes to booking their next holiday, 70 per cent of Spaniards across the country say that they are actually “prepared to pay more for flexibility,” for example to change/cancel travel plans, as well as other benefits, such as a more spacious seat.

That said, Spaniards are also actually planning to tighten their belts, particularly when it comes to socialising outdoors after lockdown, revealed the EY-Parthenon survey. A third of Spaniards plan to reduce their spend in restaurants and bars, and even cut down the number of times they go out in the evenings, which doesn’t bode well for the hospitality or tourism industry, which is banking on the national market to bail them out this summer.

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Pepi Sappal

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