Spain too hot for tourists?

Sevilla in Andalucía is sometimes called “the Iberian oven” because its temperature rises due to the hot air coming from North Africa.

This month has seen temperatures climbing towards 40c (104F) which in the summer months is normal, but in April it should be cooler. This weather comes after a dry winter and a previous hot summer in 2022.

It has meant the people attending the famous Feria de Abril (the April fair) have had to put up with unusually hot weather while dressed in their finery. Many people, like Bernard Bossous say they stay indoors until 8 or 9 pm. He says of climate change “Compared to 10 years ago, it’s definitely changing. It is worrying.”

The Mayor of Sevilla wants to make sure that residents and visitors can stay in the city comfortably as climate change takes its toll.

But there are concerns that the measures won’t be enough and that tourists will be put off visiting because of the extreme heat. This would have a disastrous effect on the city’s economy.

Spain has low reservoir levels, and some are just at 10 per cent capacity. The Doñana National Park which straddles Sevilla and Huelva already has problems due to lack of water. José Galan, president of the Field Guide Association of Doñana Park says plants are flowering this month instead of next which should not be happening, but he says that nature finds a way to adapt.

“The heat and drought because of climate change is having a huge impact on water. We don’t have enough, and we use too much. We have to rethink our relationship with water.”