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TOURIST bookings to ‘safe’ Spain are surging this Easter as the Iran war continues to fuel global uncertainty, experts say.
According to Destinia’s online platform, Semana Santa bookings across the peninsula are up by 50% from last year. International bookings account for 29%.
Analysts say that these figures indicate a growing trust in Spain as a haven of safety, amid the escalating conflict, high fuel prices and the Iran war.
Beatriz Oficialdegui is the communications officer for Destinia. La Vanguardia“Foreigners see Spain as a country that is safe, and we benefit as a destination.”
READ MORE Spain is set to experience a new boom in tourism as tourists shun other destinations due to Middle East conflict fears
According to a study by BBVA Research, past geopolitical tensions affecting Spain’s competitors — including Egypt, Morocco, Turkey and Greece — led to increases of between 30% and 36% in foreign bookings to Spain.
“[This is] because Spain is logically considered a safe country and a refuge destination,” said Jose Manuel Lastra, of the Confederación Española de Agencias de Viajes.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, Spain welcomed 15 million foreign tourists in March and April last year.
In April alone — when Easter fell — there were about 8.56 million foreign visitors, a record for the month.
Experts predict that this year’s figures will surpass the previous record, despite concerns raised by tourism leaders on the Costa del Sol.
Francisco Jerez is the tourism councillor of Mijas for Vox. He warned earlier this year that Semana Santa reservation levels had declined by 35% in comparison to normal levels.
READ MORE Tourism fears in Costa del Sol expat haven as Semana Santa bookings are down 35% – lack of high-speed trains blamed
Jerez said this was due in part to the ongoing problems with the high speed rail link from the centre of Spain. They warned that this disruption had a “huge effect” on visitor numbers headed to the coast.
He called for urgent action from the government, adding: “Tourism cannot survive if it continues to ignore the infrastructure that it so desperately needs.”
The latest figures, however, suggest that there has been a change in the situation, which eases concerns raised over recent weeks.
Semana Santa’s current surge coincides with the fourth week of the Iranian conflict. In response to the US-Israeli airstrikes that began on 28 February, Tehran has closed the Strait of Hormuz – a vital shipping route for oil – causing fuel costs to soar across the globe.
READ MORE Spain is a ‘role model in weathering Iranian oil shocks due to its speedy rollout of renewables’, according to the FT
US President Donald Trump issued a warning on Sunday that unless Iran opens the Strait of Hormuz in 48 hours, US energy facilities will be targeted.
Fatih Birol of the International Energy Agency warned that the conflict may cause the world to face the worst energy crises in decades.
No country will be immune from the effects of this crises if they continue in this direction. “There is a necessity for global efforts,” said he to Australia’s National Press Club.
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