Europe on the March - Spain ‘no longer foreign enough’ say British tourists

[Alatriste]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7031371.ece

The proliferation of English bars and eateries in Spanish coastal resorts is eroding the country’s attraction as a holiday destination because Britons no longer consider it foreign enough.

Pubs with names such as Billy’s Bar or The Princess Di Bar — which tempt tourists with Premier League football and traditional pub grub — are putting off visitors who are looking for something more exotic.

The thought of travelling abroad only to spend your holiday bumping into neighbours is another reason that Britons are heading elsewhere, according to a survey by the online travel agent sunshine.co.uk.

Figures from the Spanish Tourism Institute showed that the number of British tourists who visited last year fell 15 per cent compared with 2008. Of 1,327 people questioned for the survey 59 per cent said that Spain was no longer foreign enough, although nearly a third — 32 per cent — enjoyed the sense of familiarity that British food and bars gave them. Resorts such as Benidorm on the Costa Blanca and Torremolinos, Fuengirola and Benalmadena on the Costa del Sol have traditionally tempted Britons with sun, sea and a taste of home.

Julia Fossi, 41, the co-owner of Fish and Chips Barcelona, an English restaurant, said that her clientele reflected the results of the survey. “We mostly get Spaniards in, or some local Brits. Not the tourists,” she said.

On the seafront in Fuengirola, Shirley Webb, of Bayside Diner — with lamb chops and Cumberland sausages on the menu — said: “The euro has meant people complain their pound does not go so far, but business has not gone down.”

The survey showed that the US was the most popular destination measured by the growth of bookings, with some British tourists attracted by the prospect of “meeting a celebrity”. Spain was relegated to the third most popular destination for Britons by the strength of the euro.

Oh, dear Lord, what could be more embarrassing than bumping into neighbors on holidays? 

And some of the comments are hilarious too ...

I avoid parts of Spain due to other British tourists.

[The Larch]

I bet they wouldn't have that problem if, you know, they ventured beyond the coastal resorts. But maybe they'd be afraid of actually finding foreigners there. 

[Gups]

The thing is Brits on holiday want guaranteed sun. While Torremolinos may be a hideous conglomeration of  ugly concrete hotels and lobster red fatties it is hot.  Fine by me, I much prefer Costa de Luz, Santandar and St Sebastian to stay relatively Brit free.

[katmai]

I bet they wouldn't have that problem if, you know, they ventured beyond the coastal resorts. But maybe they'd be afraid of actually finding foreigners there. 

But then they would have to deal with you lispy spanish speakers!

[Savonarola]

And some of the comments are hilarious too ...

I avoid parts of Spain due to other British tourists.

A wise policy if I've ever heard one.   

[The Larch]

The thing is Brits on holiday want guaranteed sun. While Torremolinos may be a hideous conglomeration of  ugly concrete hotels and lobster red fatties it is hot.  Fine by me, I much prefer Costa de Luz, Santandar and St Sebastian to stay relatively Brit free.

Well, personally I wouldn't mind this kind of sun & beach tourism to dissappear. It has been one of the powerhouses behind the terrible housing bubble and a number of other malaises (construction boom, rampant and terribly unsustainable coastal development, making lots of coastal cities effectively single economy places, etc) we have been experiencing for a while.

[Grey Fox]

They can always go to Cuba.

[The Larch]

I bet they wouldn't have that problem if, you know, they ventured beyond the coastal resorts. But maybe they'd be afraid of actually finding foreigners there. 

But then they would have to deal with you lispy spanish speakers!

Well, they could (gasp, horrour) learn the language!

[KRonn]

Darn furriners are ruining the country!!   

[Richard Hakluyt]

I bet they wouldn't have that problem if, you know, they ventured beyond the coastal resorts. But maybe they'd be afraid of actually finding foreigners there. 

The Mediterranean resorts are precisely the places in Spain that I haven't been to, far too many Brits there don't you know 

Spain has a downmarket reputation in the British mind I think, little is known of the interior, the Pyrenees or the North-west. Which suits me fine when I get the chance to go there; but probably annoys the Spanish Tourist Office a lot.

[stjaba]

When I went to Europe last summer, I spent about 5 days in one of those Spanish beach towns (Puerto Banus). Normally, I wouldn't have bothered, given that I already leave in Florida, but my accommodations were basically free. Anyways, I felt like I was in mini-England- tons of Brits everywhere. One day, I was wearing a t-shirt with a shamrock and a leprachuan. On the way to the beach, I walked by a bunch of drunk twenty-something English women. When they saw my shirt, they started yelling profanities at me for some reason. 

[Razgovory]

When I went to Europe last summer, I spent about 5 days in one of those Spanish beach towns (Puerto Banus). Normally, I wouldn't have bothered, given that I already leave in Florida, but my accommodations were basically free. Anyways, I felt like I was in mini-England- tons of Brits everywhere. One day, I was wearing a t-shirt with a shamrock and a leprachuan. On the way to the beach, I walked by a bunch of drunk twenty-something English women. When they saw my shirt, they started yelling profanities at me for some reason. 

They hate the Irish.

[KRonn]

When I went to Europe last summer, I spent about 5 days in one of those Spanish beach towns (Puerto Banus). Normally, I wouldn't have bothered, given that I already leave in Florida, but my accommodations were basically free. Anyways, I felt like I was in mini-England- tons of Brits everywhere. One day, I was wearing a t-shirt with a shamrock and a leprachuan. On the way to the beach, I walked by a bunch of drunk twenty-something English women. When they saw my shirt, they started yelling profanities at me for some reason. 

That sounds kind of hott though!       Or maybe dangerous...   

[DisturbedPervert]

they started yelling profanities at me for some reason. 

That's their mating call

[Syt]

I avoid parts of Spain due to other British tourists.

I don't like meeting German tourists, either.