With Spain’s economy still going through major crisis, it’s nice to see the Brits are having some effect on helping Spain’s tourist industry. According to HOSBEC, a Costa Blanca association for hoteliers, British tourists have already booked more than 133,000 package tours to the region, which is an increase of 3 percent from last year. With so many Brits coming to the Costa Blanca area, it’s looking a bit more positive for Spaniards in the hotel and tourist industry. Without the Brits, HOSBEC says some hotels on the Costa Blanca would have had to close.
But, there is still plenty of cause for concern. With all the cuts the government of Mariano Rajoy is putting into place, one of them is the Imserso program for Spanish retirees.
The Imserso program is a huge part of hoteliers’ income all over Spain, as Spanish retirees are paid for to go on cut price vacations, mini-breaks or for an outing for an afternoon for lunch and entertainment in a huge number of Spanish hotels. With the cuts, this could cause more Spanish hotels to close, as Spanish pensioners are a huge part of their income.
Benidorm, for instance, is the most popular destination for Spanish pensioners in the Imserso program. Without those numbers, some hotels in the Benidorm area could close in the coming year if they can’t replace the number of pensioners with tourists from other places.