Coronavirus: Benidorm's a ghost town without Scots

Clark Bowie runs the Thistle Bar in Benidorm and feels the Scottish quarantine will damage his business

The 14-day quarantine rule for travel to Spain is hitting businesses in holiday resorts hard, according to expat bar owner Clark Bowie.

He told the BBC that his business, in the Costa Blanca resort of Benidorm, will be in trouble by the winter if Scotland continues its quarantine rule for passengers returning from the country.

Mr Bowie says Benidorm is "like a ghost town" without Scots holidaymakers and claims the resorts are safe for tourists.

On Wednesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that people travelling back from Spain will still have to go into quarantine when arriving in Scotland.

'We are bewildered'

The Scottish government approved almost all of the "air bridge" travel destinations set out by UK ministers but not Spain.

This means that from 10 July, Scots can travel to 57 other countries without having to self-isolate on returning but Spain and Serbia have been omitted from the list due to concerns about the prevalence of Covid-19.

With the Spanish economy heavily reliant on tourism, it is believed the move will impact the resorts that miss out on Scottish visitors.

Mr Bowie, originally from Aberdeen, runs the Thistle Bar in Benidorm.

Clark Bowie has put in place all the sanitising and social distancing measures he was requires to implement

Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, he said: "I was really disheartened by the first minister's decision and thought we are not going to have customers now.

"About 80% of our customers are Scottish-based so this will be very damaging.

"We have an abundance of Scots coming over from July, right up through Christmas, and this is going to make it harder for us in the later part of the fiscal year."

Mr Bowie said the large Scots expat community in Benidorm was "bewildered" at what happened.

He said: "We will struggle later in the year. We rely on our cash built up in this period so we can operate over the quieter period of the winter-time."

'Operate safely'

The Thistle bar has already been hit by the Spanish lockdown. Without an outdoor area, the pub has only been open again for four weeks.

It reopened at 30% capacity which has now been increased to 70%, with social distancing of two metres.

Mr Bowie said: "Benidorm is like a ghost town."

Social distancing measures are in place on the beach in Benidorm

He believes the resort can operate safely for Scots visitors, and says the majority of people are happy to wear face coverings and abide by the rules.

This is a view shared by travel agent Joanne Dooey.

Ms Dooey runs the Love To Travel agency and represents the Scottish Passenger Agents Association.

She said: "The decision was devastating for us as an industry because Spain is the number one tourist destination for Scots and it is a destination the Scots love and know very well. In fact many own apartments and houses there. We feel confident and safe going to Spain."

'Unfair to Scotland'

She said agents understood the reason for the first minister's decision but cannot understand why it is safe enough for English customers to go in and out without quarantine.

Ms Dooey said: "Bear in mind it is the north of Spain which has seen a rise in infections, which is not a massive destination for Scots holidaymakers.

"Why not open up the Costas and the Balearic and Canary islands for the Scots who have been looking forward to their holiday all year?"

And she believes people can holiday safely.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain wore face masks as they visited Benidorm on a tour to see the social and economic effects of the coronavirus lockdown

She added: "Health and safety is the priority but we are living in a new world now. To get the economy going all the measures are in place.

"We are used to social distancing, wearing face masks, we know what to do and they know what to do in Spain. I feel it is unfair to Scotland."

Director of tourism for the Spanish capital of Madrid, Miguel Sanz, said the city will "greatly miss" Scottish visitors.

He said, after being hit hard by coronavirus in March and April, the city has recovered and is now used to living with the virus.

'Tough decision'

Mr Sanz said: "People in Madrid in are conscious of wearing face masks and social distancing. The prevalence of the virus in Madrid is amongst the lowest in the country.

"I would think the measures are a bit strong but that is for the first minister to decide and it is a tough decision.

"But I am sure Spain will be there when Scotland revises its list in a fortnight."