Alex Trelinski
AN AIRLINE boss says some British holidaymakers are hesitating going to Spain because of anti-tourism protests.
Steve Heapy, the chief executive of Jet2, said an image was being built up among some travellers that foreign tourists were not welcome in Spain.
Heapy said the Jet2 call centre had received calls from concerned clients, with travel agencies also reporting they had encountered queries about the issue.
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“Most protests are small but I have seen headlines for the past 12 months,” he said.
“Perception becomes reality,” he commented.
Heapy was on a London panel alongside several Spanish mayors from tourist areas who were keen to play down the effects of the protests on UK tourists.
They were on a trip to Britain for meetings with tour operators as the UK is far and away the biggest foreign tourist market in Spain
Travel Weekly reported that Heapy was not aware of any spikes in cancellations linked to concerns about the protests, but he added he understood clients’ hesitation before travel.
“If you’re going on holiday with your kids and you hear there might be anti-tourism protests in a destination, you might think again about going there,” he said.
He also called for a cut in offerings from holiday property rental companies like Airbnb.
One of the Spanish panel representatives was Benidorm mayor, Toni Perez.
He said: “We should try not to blame tourism, because there are many aspects here that have nothing to do with tourism.”
Perez added that his council’s push against illegal holiday lets would ease problems, with inspections and fines playing a key part.
