Wintery weather forecast puts damper on Easter tourism

SPRINGLIKE climates across Spain will vanish over Easter weekend with heavy rain and plummeting temperatures setting in from tomorrow (Thursday), creating even greater headaches for drivers and passengers of nine million cars expected to be on the country's roads during the holidays.

For the last week, stable weather conditions and sunshine caued by high pressure led much of Spain to believe summer was just around the corner, but today (Wednesday), a cold front hit Galicia in the north-west and is expected to spread across the mainland, reaching the Mediterranean coast by around Good Friday.

The grim weather is likely to carry on until Easter Monday at least.

As a result, the tourism industry is not optimistic about the four-day bank holiday and predicts a significant fall in bookings compared with previous years.

Barcelona is feeling the pinch for two reasons – the unseasonal weather forecast, and the ongoing Catalunya political crisis, even though no demonstrations are planned over Easter as yet.

Tourism officials in Catalunya stress that holidaymakers should not be put off – the region remains very safe, and Spain is one of the safest countries in the world; also, any protest marches tend to take place in very specific areas, such as outside government buildings, and the political upheaval has not affected any essential services such as transport, healthcare, retail or cultural activities.