Benidorm offers tourists Covid vaccines as they have to ‘remind British to wear masks’

Boris Johnson discusses booster jabs for international travel

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There have reportedly been queues of tourists outside the new vaccination centre. The centre is based in the resort’s hotel district.

Mobile vaccination clinics will be set up in busy areas of Benidorm soon as officials work to tackle rising cases.

The mayor of Benidorm, Antonio Perez, said: “I think this sends a message of safety. This is a public service we want to extend to our tourists.”

Every tourist arriving in Spain needs to present proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test at the border.

Vaccine passports are not in place in Benidorm so tourists can enter bars and hospitality venues without needing a health document.

There have been fears in Benidorm as cases in the region soar above the national Spanish rate.

It has seen an average of 249 cases per 100,000 people over a 14 day period compared to a rate of 96 cases nationally.

Some officials have said that tourists are responsible for the rise of Covid cases in the Benidorm resort.

Rosa Luis, manager of the health district in Benidorm, said: “We don’t have proper data on the infections in Benidorm.

“But we have noticed as soon as tourists came back, infections rose too, that is without question.”

Toni Mayor is head of Valencia’s HOSBEC hotel association. He said that most hotel guests are vaccinated.

However, he said that some British tourists in Benidorm are not sticking to Spain’s rules on masks.

He told Reuters: “We have to keep reminding the British to put their masks back on. Some of them get confused because in Britain you don’t have to wear one.”

Face masks are required in all enclosed public spaces in Spain as well as in outdoor areas where distance can’t be maintained.

They are also mandatory on all public transport including trains, trams, buses, metro and within stations.

Spain is aiming to rebuild its tourism market and wants to recover two thirds of its pre pandemic numbers by the end of this year.

Benidorm is an extremely popular holiday destination with British tourists who visit to enjoy the resort’s beaches and nightlife.

The Costa Blanca resort is also extremely popular with Spanish tourists as well as German and Scandinavian nationals.

In normal years, Benidorm receives around five million tourists a year, many of whom are British.

The resort suffered during Covid as travel restrictions stopped international tourists visiting Benidorm.

As tourists returned this summer, local bar owners told The Mirror that the “atmosphere was amazing”.

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