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ARCHIVED - Spain demands that EU scraps 90 days in 180 rule for British tourists
Spain’s tourism minister is putting pressure on Brussels to allow UK holidaymakers to stay longer
Tough post-Brexit travel restrictions mean that UK citizens are severely limited in the amount of time they can spend in Spain, a factor which is proving detrimental to the Spanish tourism sector. An EU-wide rule states that holidaymakers from Britain can only remain in Spain for 90 days in every 180: bad news for second home owners as well as the local economy, which relies heavily on UK visitors.
In a recent interview, Spanish tourism secretary Fernando Valdés explained that his department is appealing to Brussels to relax the restrictions so that Brits can spend longer in Spain.
“Unfortunately, this is not something Spain has established by itself or can get rid of,” Mr Valdés said earlier this week.
“It is true that after Brexit some problems have emerged with people wanting to stay longer.”
He added: “It is in our interest to lobby and convince [the EU] we can try to work on an exception with them. But the solution must come from them.”
In an effort to circumvent some other EU limitations, the Spanish and UK governments are in the process of working out a bilateral agreement that would allow seasonal workers from Britain to stay longer than the 90 days, something that wouldn’t require approval from Brussels.
Tourism now accounts for at least 12% of Spain’s GDP and the country has invested 200 million euros in “sun and sea” destinations like Magaluf in Mallorca in a bid to attract more visitors.
“What we want is to increase quality but what we really want is for any tourist to visit those destinations. We want families. We are seeing in Magaluf how all these investments are bringing more British families. Magaluf has changed in 10 years,” Mr Valdés said.
With soaring energy costs across the globe, more and more Britons are choosing Spain as a warm winter get-away, and the country was recently voted as one of the three best worldwide destinations to retire to.
Image: Pixabay
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