by The Easter break is like the People’s Shield on holiday – or perhaps the Queen’s Club Championship, or the Baftas – in that it provides an insight into what we can expect for the main event to come.
Fortunately, there was no repeat of last year’s travel chaos caused by strike action, both at home and abroad. But after the Easter break we now have a clearer picture of where the tourism woes will be focused this summer, with protests, drought measures and airport queues disrupting British holidaymakers across the Continent.
The school summer holidays are still 100 days away – it can, and will, be plenty before then – but let’s look at five key themes that have emerged so far, and consider how they might affect your holidays.
Ban on swimming pools in Spain?
Spain is experiencing its worst drought in 200 years, while Catalonia is suffering from severe water shortages. The Sau reservoir, east of Girona, once attracted tourists for its sunken church and village, but these are completely visible above the waterline: a symbol of what the President of Catalonia, Pere Aragonès, called “the new climate reality”.
Drought is also affecting Italy and, in particular, Sicily, where severe wildfires occurred during the summer season of 2023. This interactive map from the European Drought Observatory shows the scale of the problem.
In Andalusia, local councils in the Costa del Sol and Malaga City have banned private swimming pools from being filled with mains water, meaning they must be filled with well water or groundwater instead. This covers tourist rentals, although hotels and sports venues are exempt from the rule – for now.
Are holidaymakers heading to Spain this summer winning? There is a risk that your pool will be filled with non-mains water, which would require filtration (24 to 72 hours) before it can be used. Some pools may close completely. You will probably have to wait as well as get home from the beach before sand is showered off your body, as public water taps have been turned off across the country.
Some accommodation owners in the south of Spain fear that tourists will be turned away if the use of a swimming pool is not guaranteed. Samantha Austin, whose company looks after around 50,000 tourist apartments around the southern coast of Spain, told the local newspaper, The Sur in English: “I have many clients waiting to hear from me as they decide whether or not to come. If we are not there, they are going to change their destination this year. We are canceling cancellations and we will have more.”
Long queues at popular airports
British holidaymakers complained of long queues at Palma de Mallorca Airport. One family returning to Manchester Airport told the Majorca Daily Bulletin that they queued for two hours to go through security checks and passport control. This came after a half hour wait for their passports to be stamped on arrival. Tui and Jet2 have warned passengers that they may face longer waits than usual due to maintenance and a suspected “work to rule” policy, when staff do the minimum amount of work required by their contract.
In Faro, British holidaymakers reported long delays in getting through security. Yvette Hughes posted on X: “What’s going on. Three and a half hour queue through security.” She suggested that passengers had not received any information about the cause. Another, Parson James, said he was waiting three hours to get through customs when he arrived, while football broadcaster Jeff Stelling also posted on X complaining about staff shortages and an electronic gate not working .
A lot could change at these airports between now and the summer, so the above shouldn’t be a serious concern for people going to the Algarve or Mallorca. Something to watch out for, however, is that the upcoming change to the 100ml liquids rule could confuse departing passengers. This is because some UK airports have been issued with a June 1 deadline and others, such as Gatwick and Heathrow, have extensions into 2025.
Faro Airport. Not enough staff, electronic gates that don’t work. People stuck for more than 3 hours and not moving. Happy Easter. pic.twitter.com/PuCP6fPDKn
— Jeff Stelling (@JeffStelling) March 31, 2024
Local people living in caves and cars
Activists in Tenerife say locals are forced to live in their cars – or in some cases, in caves – because of a cost-of-living crisis perpetuated by mass tourism. Ivan Cerdena Molina from the Association of Friends of Nature Tenerife (ATAN) told. Olive Press: “We have nothing against individual tourists but the industry is growing and growing and using so many resources and the island cannot cope with it.
“It’s a crisis, we have to change things urgently. People are living in their cars and even in caves, and the locals cannot eat, drink or live well. The benefits of the industry are not trickling down to everyday people, whose salaries have not increased in recent years. The quality of life here is falling.”
Similar complaints were made in Ibiza, where local professionals resorted to living in their cars due to rising accommodation costs, and also in Santorini.
“In Ibiza, accommodation is very expensive, and it’s getting more expensive,” César Nebrera, a chef, told the BBC. “And the cost of rent is completely out of consideration with what you earn. So living like this is another option. It’s not as comfortable, but it allows me to continue living on the island.” Other locals live in tents or basic shared accommodation, to make ends meet.
It’s a problem British tourists should take into account when chatting with workers on the Spanish islands this summer; your friendly cook, waiter or hotel aficionado could be staying in much more basic accommodation than you are.
‘Tourists go home’
The issues created by mass tourism, including the cost of living crisis mentioned above, are bringing some islands to the point of sickness. Protests are planned on April 20 across five of the Canary Islands (under the banner “The Canary Islands have a border”), where activists will call on the government to curb tourism growth and introduce a more sustainable tourism model that benefits. residents and the environment.
In Malaga, before the Easter holidays, groups of protestors placed stickers on tourist accommodation saying “Go ****ing Home”, as well as phrases such as “a family used to live here”, “before this was my house” and “styles of. tourists”. Amsterdam recently relaunched its Stay Away campaign, aimed at keeping British dance groups out of the city.
British tourists can expect more of this as the summer season draws to a close and anti-tourism sentiment intensifies in key holiday destinations across the Continent. Don’t be surprised if more protests are scheduled when July and August roll around.
Troubles on home soil
At home, there were numerous examples of British tourists getting beauty spots wrong. On the south coast, tourists were seen strolling for photographs inches from the edge of the cliff at Birling Gap. Pictures also emerged from Snowdon which showed a large number of walkers climbing to the summit of Wales’ highest mountain to capture the perfect photo. This is a growing trend in the national park, where mountain rescuers have complained about groups attempting to climb to the summit in high heels.
Over the Easter holidays, there were also several examples of British passengers causing problems on planes. One man, on a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Alicante, prompted an emergency landing after drinking a bottle of Disaronno. Another flight from Manchester to Dalaman had to be diverted to Serbia, where an unruly passenger was filmed being removed by police. Don’t be surprised if there are more reports like this in late spring and summer, as the hen and stag season begins in destinations such as Prague, Krakow and Ibiza.
