The president of one in every of Spain’s most important vacationer areas has referred to as for post-Brexit visa guidelines limiting the period of time Brits can spend within the nation to be scrapped.
Ximo Puig, president of the Valencia area the place Benidorm and Alicante are situated, issued the decision after an enormous drop-off in vacationer numbers after Brexit.
He stated the brand new guidelines – which restrict Brits to a 90-day keep in each 180 days – are placing individuals off shopping for vacation properties, visiting their households and damaging the area’s economic system.
The Spanish area of Valencia has referred to as for Britons to be allowed to spend greater than 90 days at a time within the nation after noticing an enormous drop-in in numbers post-Brexit
Talking at a tourism expo in London this week, he referred to as for ‘Brexit to be as Brexit-less as potential’.
Reyes Maroto, Spain’s tourism minister, assured Mr Puig {that a} process pressure together with diplomats from each the UK and Spain has already been arrange.
The embassy groups have been instructed to work in the direction of ‘joint options’ on ‘mobility’ points, she stated – with out elaborating additional.
Mr Puig issued his demand after the variety of Britons visiting his area plunged post-Brexit, from 3million in 2019 to simply 600,000 in 2020.
Whereas the pandemic might be behind many of the lower, Puig warned that it’s unlikely figures will return to pre-pandemic ranges resulting from Brexit journey restrictions.
Puig stated he’s notably involved in regards to the impact of the brand new guidelines on retirees who personal or had been planning to purchase vacation properties within the area.
Limiting the period of time they’ll keep within the nation might put individuals off shopping for or else persuade those that have purchased to promote up, Puig stated in accordance with The Native, probably inflicting costs to crash.
Ximo Puig, president of the Valencia area, fears that a whole bunch of hundreds of Brits who may need visited and spent their money there would possibly now be delay coming
Whereas the brand new guidelines don’t have an effect on the 380,000 Britons who maintain full residency in Spain, Puig fears they’ll have an effect on a whole bunch of hundreds extra individuals – together with the households of these residents – who don’t qualify for a similar standing.
Carlos Mazón, president of Alicante’s tourism board, described British guests as a ‘elementary’ supply of wealth for the area on the London expo
‘We’re engaged on reciprocity in order that they may also be in our territory for six months in a row once they come to go to us, as these are the situations that apply for individuals from Alicante and Spain once they go to the UK,’ he stated.
Nonetheless, it isn’t clear precisely how Spain would do that. As a Shengen Zone nation, its border insurance policies are dictated by frequent EU treaties.
Whereas states inside Shengen do have the facility to set a few of their very own border guidelines, that is usually solely utilized in occasions of emergency – corresponding to throughout Covid.