Hotel Benidorm: Guests explain why they like Benidorm

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The Tourism Federation of Lanzarote (FTL) has called for Spain to relax the travel rules for British tourists. It said that vaccine requirements are ruining the winter season for Britons.

The group said that the Covid passport requirement for teenagers had already negatively affected the Christmas season.

They said it is now about to affect the UK half term market as families cancel February holidays.

The group said the vaccination rule was a “crazy requirement” as the UK’s vaccination schedule meant some teenagers hadn’t had the chance to be vaccinated.

They are calling for the rule to be scrapped or for British teenagers to be allowed to travel with a negative test.

Currently, British travellers need to be fully vaccinated to travel to Spain and will need a booster jab if their second jab was more than 270 days ago.

The rule applies to all tourists over the age of 12 which means some families have had issues.

Although teenagers are now able to have a second jab in the UK, Britain’s rollout was slower among under 18s than in many European countries.

The tourism group said that more than 60,000 bookings were cancelled by British families because they were unable to bring their kids on holiday.

They said they were pessimistic about the half term season as well due to the remaining restrictions.

The group said: “Usually, British holidaymakers will head to their favourite destinations at this time of year, such as Lanzarote, because we have the sun, so drop the entry requirements and let them come before they discover other destinations and countries, such as Greece or Turkey, where they do not have this entry restriction.”

Currently unvaccinated British travellers are allowed to travel to Greece if they provide a negative test.

Unvaccinated British tourists can also travel to Turkey if they provide a negative test result.

While all the Canary Islands were affected by the drop in tourism last year, Lanzarote lost the most tourists.

The FTL said: “The figures confirm that the maintenance of this measure will be another blow for the sector.”

It added that it was unacceptable that British travellers were subject to more restrictions than other EU countries.

The group pointed out that some other countries in the Schengen zone are allowed to enter with a negative test despite higher Covid rates than the UK.

The Canary Islands are normally one of Spain’s leading winter tourism destinations due to their proximity to the Equator.

Restrictions vary across the islands with some bars and restaurants requesting a Covid pass for entry.

Spain is set to scrap mandatory face masks outside on Thursday in welcome news for many tourists.

Masks will still be mandatory in indoor public areas as well as on all public transport.

British tourists will need to take a lateral flow test on or before day two after arrival in the UK until February 11.

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