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Following news that the Foreign Office has extended its advice against all but essential travel to the whole of Spain;

Ben Cordwell, Travel & Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on the latest announcement:

“The government’s sudden announcement will make British holidaymakers nervous about traveling to any country in case there is a sudden rise in COVID-19 infections, and a subsequent sudden change in rules. GlobalData’s Recovery Consumer Survey Results state that 82% of Brits are still extremely or quite concerned about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, meaning residents will take government advice seriously.

“According to GlobalData, the UK made up nearly a quarter (23.3%) of all international arrivals to Spain in 2019, highlighting the significant impact that the Foreign Office’s advice will have on the country’s tourism recovery. However, the advice is not only a cause for concern for Spain.

“The timing of the Foreign Office announcement could not be worse for tourism companies. July and August are by far the most popular months of travel for British tourists as it is the peak of summer and falls within the school summer holidays. For Spain, and possibly more European markets to miss out on this vital period will be devastating for companies. A summer without British tourists could make it extremely difficult for many companies to survive the quiet winter months.

“Unsurprisingly, the government’s advice has come under significant criticism from tourism bodies. However, government advice must be guided by the need to keep people safe, something that may unfortunately have a negative impact on the tourism industry.”