Come Back Brexpats – The Country Needs You, Says Valencia Leaders

 Ximo Puig and Carlos Mazón push to extend permitted time for non-resident Britons past the 90-day period. Daniel Hazelhoff reports… 

British tourism in La Comunidad Valenciana took a massive blow during the Covid-19 outbreak. Numbers went from three million British in 2019 to just 600,000 in 2020. However, Covid-19 wasn’t the only reason British tourism in Valencia is slowing down. Brexit’s effect on the tourism market has become noticeably clear. When the 30% of Valencia’s tourists, the British, aren’t making it to La Costa Blanca it massively affects local business. 

British residents in La Provincia de Alicante are a source of wealth for us and one of our best ambassadors for the arrival of British tourism to La Costa Blanca

This year, 2021, saw the introduction of Britain’s travel restrictions. As things stand, the British may travel for up to 90 days every 180 days if they do not have proof of residency in any country belonging to the Schengen zone. This leaves a grey zone for Britons that own property in Spain, and other EU countries. 

Official estimates on British property owners suggest that there are anywhere from 800,000 to one million British property owners in Spain, and out of them around 300,000 are permanent residents. This leaves up to 700,000 Britons in the grey area. This includes individuals who own property, rent said property, and visit said property, yet have no more rights than a classic tourist in terms of visitation.

With more than 70,000 British residents, Alicante is home to the biggest British population in Spain. These individuals and families are tied to Alicante’s economy and cultural identity. 

“British residents in La Provincia de Alicante are a source of wealth for us and one of our best ambassadors for the arrival of British tourism to La Costa Blanca,” said the president of Alicante’s provincial council Carlos Mazón during a meeting in London with the Spanish ambassador to the UK José Pascual Marco, where they discussed collaborative measures to prolong British stay in Spain past the three-month period.

In an attempt to allow British tourists to stay more than 90 days out of the 180-day travel period, Ximo Puig attended the World Travel Market in London on 1 November and called for urgent measures “to facilitate the visa situation” and “correct the restrictions”. The strategy includes an impact plan with a €1.5m investment into promotional campaigns to try and recuperate the losses resulting from the collapse of the British tourism market.