Catalonia news: Mounting tensions keep British tourists away as Catalonia defies Madrid

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Tourism has been hit by a 22 per cent drop in flight bookings to the region

Tourism has been hit by a 22 per cent drop in flight bookings to the region since the illegal independence referendum on October 1 and experts warned this would worsen if the emergency situation deteriorates further.

The loss of revenue would spread well beyond ’s borders and is already set to cost the Spanish treasury tens of millions of euros.

It is a further headache for Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, under mounting pressure from Brussels to find a quick resolution to Spain’s worst constitutional crisis since the Civil War in the 1930s.

Madrid ordered the sacking of Catalonia’s regional government on Friday and called a snap election for December 21 following a decision by the Catalonian parliament to support a call for independence.

Police chief Josep Lluis Trapero, who had become a household name following August’s terror attack in Barcelona, was also dismissed.

He had been hailed a hero to secessionists after his force took a much softer stance than national police in enforcing a government ban on the referendum.

His dismissal caused further concern over how the Catalonian police force would respond if ordered to evict sacked leader Carles Puigdemont and his government.

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A demonstrator held up the Spanish national flag as crowds took to the streets of Madrid

I ask for calm from all Spaniards. The rule of law will restore legality in Catalonia

Mariano Rajoy – Spanish Prime Minister


He also faces arrest, which would prove a trigger point for further unrest.

On Friday Mr Rajoy tried to defuse tensions.

He said: “I ask for calm from all Spaniards. The rule of law will restore legality in Catalonia.”

Asked about Mr Puigdemont’s impending arrest, government minister Mendez de Vigo said judicial and political powers were separate in Spain and that “no one is above the law”.

Mr Puigdemont, who has refused to stand down, has called for peaceful “democratic opposition” to the central government’s takeover.

He accused Madrid of “premeditated aggression” against the will of the Catalonian people.

Mariano RajoyGETTY

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy

In a memo, senior officers urged regional police members to remain neutral in the face of civil unrest.

It said: “Given that there is likely to be an increase in gatherings and rallies of citizens in all the territory and that there are people of different thoughts, we must remember that it is our responsibility to guarantee the security of all and help these to take place without incident.”

Mr Trapero’s dismissal was sanctioned by Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido, and Spain’s High Court ordered the seizing of his passport as part of an investigation for alleged sedition, although it stopped short of ordering his arrest.

On Friday EU President Jean-Claude Juncker revealed tensions in Brussels over the crisis, warning “there isn’t room in Europe for other cracks” after Catalonia’s vote to secede from Spain.

He said the EU wants “to respect the Spanish constitutional and legal order.

We are not in favour of letting Europe develop so that tomorrow we’d have 95 member states. 

Twenty-eight is enough for now.” However, Brussels’ decision not to take Spain to task for the violence used by police on October 1 earned more criticism last night.

Jean-Guy Talamoni, the nationalist president of the Corsican Assembly, said: “What’s troubling is this unfailing support for Madrid, which has used extremely violent means to prevent peaceful people from voting.”

Catalonians remain optimistic as they await events to unfold, a former British diplomat said last night.

Mike Thom, who has lived in Barcelona since 1999, added: “I can tell you there’s no fear among those Catalonians who want independence. They are pretty calm.

“The only violence I’ve seen is by skinheads supporting unity. But the next few days are going to be tense. It’s difficult to know whether Catalonians will remain peaceful once Carles Puigdemont is arrested.”

Yesterday Pope Francis urged the EU to “recover the sense of being a single community” if it wants a future of prosperity and fairness for all.

Tourism experts told how the crisis was already permeating to British holidaymakers.

More than 800,000 Britons booked hotel rooms in Barcelona last year alone but concern over violent protests, supported by Foreign Office travel advice, could see that figure plummet.

Olivier Jager, chief executive of travel analysts ForwardKeys, said: “Domestic political unrest almost always deters visitors and that is what we are seeing now – a 22 per cent collapse in international flight bookings for Catalonia.

“This will also have a knock-on effect on other parts of Spain because many visitors arriving in Catalonia will travel around the country.

“If the political crisis worsens, I fear we will see a further decline in bookings. This trend will be of great concern because travel and tourism represents such a large proportion of the Spanish economy, over 14 per cent of GDP.”

At present, the Foreign Office is advising tourists to be aware of sudden protests which could turn violent.

But it was told by experts to be more specific.

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The Catalan flag flying during a protest in London’s Piccadilly Circus yesterday

Independent travel consultant Frank Behany said: “There were already problems over the summer, with locals protesting about the high level of tourists in Barcelona. Now, on top of this, we have this political powder keg. This isn’t just about Barcelona. It’s about other regions in Spain, Salou, Loretta de Mar and even Gerona. It’s going to have a massive ripple effect which will cost tens of millions of euros.”

He added: “There is a bit of a problem with how the Foreign Office gives out its travel advice. It aims to please too many people. Tourists are not economic foot soldiers.

“What we have been finding is that British holidaymakers are having to spend more time researching to make their own risk assessments.”

Last night national police sources in Madrid warned that the crisis would affect counter-terror operations.

A senior intelligence official said: “The situation is bad enough already with exchanges of information between the Mossos [local police] and the Civil Guard and the National Police and we fear it will only worsen because of the independence declaration.”

In London, pro-independence protesters gathered in Piccadilly yesterday while in Madrid, nationalists marched carrying the national Spanish flag.