The Spanish government had been warned in no uncertain terms that it would hit holiday bookings in Britain. Hoteliers in the Canary Islands slammed the government and asked them to take action. When they did it was a case of too little, too late because British families had already gone elsewhere. The requirement for British teenagers to have both jabs before they could enter Spain was scrapped last week but the bird had already flown....in this case to Turkey.
The Spanish government has now launched a campaign in Britain underling that Spain is a safe holiday destination and informing the British public that teenagers no longer need a double jab. I suppose the drive could rescue Easter holidays for British families but it is too late for the-all-important half-term break. It was a rather silly idea in the first place because a sizeable number of British teenagers are unvaccinated. It was bound to hit bookings but the Spanish government stayed firm.
I do think that there is a need for the Spanish government to work more closely with the tourist industry. Granted the government sets the laws but it will be the tourist industry which will pay the price. This is a bad start to what could be a good year for tourism in Spain. More coordination is going to be needed. At the moment it is a question of Turkey 1 Spain 0. It also underlines the fact that Spain is going to face some serious competition this summer from destinations such as Turkey.