Brits issued Majorca holiday warning as costs set to soar in Spanish region

Brits who are heading to the Spanish region of Majorca for their summer holiday are now being warned of bigger bills in restaurants and pubs.

The increased costs come as a result of soaring overheads for owners.

The cost of a meal out in the region could rise by as much as 15%, according to local business representatives.

This is on top of a shortage of commodities used to prepare meals, such as olive oil, due to a haulage strike in Spain.

The alert has been issued by the Mallorca restaurant group CAEB and the Association of Restaurants, Arema.

CAEB president, Alfonso Robledo said that the cost of raw materials has soared by 30%, but at the moment, not all of this is being passed on to the consumer because of increased demands on their own holiday budgets.

However, restaurants in Majorca are now having to raise their prices between 10-15% to cope with the increased costs.

Arema president, Jaume Colombás said other restaurants are having to change their menus as they could not afford to offer the same dishes as the prices of a few weeks ago.

"The first thing that citizens cut when they have less money is leisure," he said.

Products that are most affected are the oils (sunflower and olive oil), milk, butter and meat.

Along with the rising prices and shortages caused by the haulage strike, restaurants also face massively increased electricity bills, with some establishments facing bills of €4,000 (£3,328) rather than the €1,600 (£1,331), which is was just a few months ago.

Rentals have also rose 6.5% while a number of restaurants have chosen to close a few days during the week, generally on Mondays and Tuesdays, to save on staff costs.

The haulage strike is also causing supply issues of fish, wines and high-end champagne.

Restaurants are said to want the issue solved quickly as the effects will, they say, will be very serious.

Mr. Robledo said many of the restaurants had not yet recovered from the coronavirus crisis which forced them to close their doors for months to endure harsh restrictions.

It comes just days after Brit travellers were warned that their holidays could be cancelled due to strikes.

There are currently strikes that are taking place in Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca, as lorry drivers protest against high fuel prices and poor working conditions.

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