Andalucia Warns Spain’s PM Against Imposing Quarantine For Brits Wanting to Holiday on Costa del Sol

Andalucia’s regional government and tourism authorities have warned Spain’s government against imposing quarantine measures on British tourists planning to holiday on the Costa del Sol this summer.

THE announcement follows Foreign Minister Arancha González-Laya statement on Tuesday, saying: “Spain is considering maintaining the 14-day quarantine for British tourists even after June 21,” when the country will open its borders to EU members. This restriction could be applied to visitors from the UK, if the British authorities continue to maintain the quarantine for Spanish tourists, according to Spain’s government.

However, Tourism Costa del Sol’s President Francisco Salado and Andalucia’s Vice President of the Andalucian Government and Tourism Minister, Juan Marín have hit back at the government describing the move as “political” and “ludicrous,” which is damaging to the tourism industry’s recovery.

Given that British tourism is the “most important market” for the Costa del Sol after the national one, Marín said he prefers British holidaymakers to take a test before travel rather than impose quarantine, to encourage them to return to Spain, as reported. “It’s nonsense to maintain a quarantine for the British, when there are 50,000 residing on the Costa del Sol. It is not time to play a game of chess,” he stressed. Marín has urged the government to help “facilitate tourists from the Schengen territory and the UK to come to Spain with the corresponding health guarantees” instead. After all, “there are tests now that can guarantee that tourists are healthy to travel without having to comply with quarantine” he pointed out.

Last year, Malaga hotels attracted 1.31 million British tourists who spent 6.9 million nights in Costa del Sol hotels. In other words, “the British are the second main customers at our hotels and account for around 29.6 per cent of travellers coming through Malaga airport each year,” confirmed Salado.