IT’S SUN, SEA AND SOLITUDE IN BENIDORM
TRADITIONALLY, the last week of June would see Benidorm alive with sunseekers.
The resort is a favourite holiday destination for Britons – luring more than a million a year.
Part of the summer season has already been lost to the Covid-19 pandemic but some UK holidaymakers have still made the pilgrimage – and are enjoying not having to fight for a space on the beach.
Julie Broom was one of the first to arrive after flying to Alicante from Leeds Bradford airport on Sunday. She was joined by friends Sylvia Riley, 60, and Andrea Harrison, 59 – NHS nurses from Wakefield, W Yorks, who booked up with Ryanair before lockdown.
Julie, 61, said: “We’re NHS nurses so we’ve been tested for coronavirus every two weeks – we’re not dicing with death. We just wanted to get away, and we’ve enjoyed it. I feel it’s really safe in Spain because they went into a strict lockdown two weeks before the UK.”
The resort will be open to foreign tourists on Monday but a failure to wear a face mask in public places could result in a £90 fine.
The deserted golden sands of the Bay of Benidorm have been divided into sociallydistanced sections in preparation for the flood of arrivals from the UK.
Resident Michelle Baker said: “The bottom line is Benidorm needs the Brits.”
King Felipe of Spain also urged British holidaymakers to return to their favourite destinations during a national tour starting in the Canary Islands. He said: “The message we want to send is one of encouragement, that visitors have to come from wherever is necessary. We have to lift our spirits.”