Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BENI THRILL
Thousands flee UK for sun-baked resort as travel rules relax
BRITS flooded back to Benidorm yesterday after the longed-for easing of travel restrictions.
Holidaymakers lapped up the sunshine in bars and on beaches with temperatures due to hit 25C this week. It comes after the traffic light rules were drastically relaxed yesterday for countries not on the red list.
The influx of Brits has come as a huge relief to business owners and expats who work in the Costa Blanca resort. Some have been relying on food banks after losing jobs because of the lack of tourists.
Former nurse Wayne Wright, who works as drag queen Queen Levi in Benidorm’s Palladium, said: “It’s got really, really busy now.
“It has been terrible, it’s been like a ghost town and we have not worked for 18 months.
“It’s absolutely wonderful to see the British holidaymakers back. Without the British tourists, Benidorm is nothing. Benidorm thrives on working class British.”
The owner of Bar Rumbo, Antonio Garcia, 59, operating since the 70s, added: “There are quite a few British back and they love Benidorm.
“It’s the weather, the tolerant and nice Spanish people, the food is very good too and prices are brilliant. I think it is going to be really good.” Alex
Fratini, a member of Benidorm’s bar and restaurant association, said: “Many businesses have reopened after many months closed because the Brits have started to return.”
Association president Javier del Castillo said: “Businesses are reopening and opening for longer.
“We hope this continues and more Brits come.” Toni Mayor, from
the local hoteliers association, added: “The situation has improved dramatically. There’s a British atmosphere in Benidorm which reminds me of before the pandemic. “Around 20% of holidaymakers are British and with the other 20% who’ll hopefully return, we’ll be back to the way things were.
“All bars and cafes in the Little England area are packed.
“We think the number of Brits holidaying here will rise rapidly and there could be a massive surge.”
The region had 750,000 foreign tourists in August, 75% more than in August 2020.
It was kind of a mis-step. Everyone else was taking ecstasy and I was at a cheese and wine party, sipping port
By his own admission, Bez’s audition for Dancing on Ice was “awful”.
But nevertheless, the Happy Mondays dancer has signed up to appear on the upcoming series of the show, where he can show off his maraca-shaking skills in the rink.
“At the moment it’s more like Bambi on Ice, not Dancing On Ice,” he says. “How I got picked I don’t know because I was absolutely awful at the audition but they must have seen some potential in me.”
Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder quipped: “Make sure you keep those maracas warm ‘cos it can get a bit cold.”
Bez, above, joins Corrie star Sally Dynevor, who signed up for the show despite not being able to skate without a penguin skate aid.
“I’m not getting any younger,” she reasons. “I’ve just got to take every opportunity I get so that when I’m
old I can say you know what?
I gave it a go.”
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