Popular holiday resorts in Spain are poised for a return of UK visitors have many months of struggle caused by the Covid pandemic.
Hotspots like Benidorm, Majorca, and the Canary Islands are hoping the lifting of restrictions in France will persuade officials in Spain to begin easing curbs on hospitality and tourism.
Bosses in Benidorm claimed a reduced number of British visitors were defying coronavirus and sticking to travel traditions of a winter break in the region.
UK visitors make up 35 per cent of all tourists in Benidorm, ahead of Belgian and Dutch holidaymakers. Benidorm’s tourism sector has said it is waiting for an improvement in Covid data which could bring an end to restrictions.
The slowdown in tourism has already brought the unexpected closure of the famous Sinatra's bar in the resort, which was the hub of Benidorm's annual fancy dress festival.
Meanwhile, officials in the Balearic Islands and the Canaries have reintroduced restrictions on capacity in bars and restaurants because of a surge in case numbers linked to the Omicron variant.
Tourism body Exceltur warned that a recovery in tourism to Spain was unlikely to show improvement before April.
It reported: "Most business people are again postponing the full recovery of revenues to pre-pandemic levels to 2023, as a result of the triple impact of the Omicron, the energy and supply crisis at the end of 2021.
Tenerife, Alicante, Malaga and Lanzarote are among the most popular Spanish destinations booked by Britons. The Balearics have also seen an increase in demand according to the TravelgateX booking platform.
Full-vaccinated UK tourists with proof of two doses of the Covid vaccine are allowed to enter Spain without further testing or quarantine. The move to replace costly Day 2 PCR tests with cheaper lateral flows on return should also see travellers save money on holidays.
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