Brits heading on Spain holidays this year have been warned that the country is facing one of its worst droughts in 200 years.
The region of Catalonia, including Barcelona, is suffering from severe water shortages, and emergency rules have been put in place, with pools being closed and other measures introduced.
However, locals are expressing concerns that new measures could put British tourists off their summer holidays. In fact a swathe of recent cancellations have struck a blow to accommodations in the popular Costa del Sol area and industry leaders fear more are on the way, reports Birmingham Live.
Last week, demonstrations took place in Malaga, pressing for relaxation of Junta de Andalucia's drought rules that limit refills of private pools and garden watering. This came in the wake of authorities green-lighting swimming pools being filled up in public sports centres, health clubs, hotels and campsites ahead of the peak summer period.
Spain has been bringing in restrictions due to an ongoing drought (AFP via Getty Images)However, owners of tourist properties and related businesses are lobbying for even more loosening of this regulation. They're worried that if not, holidaymakers might rethink their Spanish summer plans.
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The Andalucia region, despite sporadic rainfares, is still wrestling with a protracted dry spell. Certain towns and villages have even instituted nighttime water supply and pressure restrictions, which weigh heavily on visitor accommodations.
According to Sur in English, Samantha Austin - who speaks on behalf of around 50,000 coastal tourist flats - shared her concern that travellers come to Spain expecting to enjoy a pool and have a jolly time. She expressed her anxiety, informing the outlet: "I have many clients waiting to hear from me as they're deciding whether to come or not."
"If there is no pool, they are going to change their destination this year. We are having cancellations and we are going to have more."
Business owners and unions are calling for a relaxation of the rules ahead of the authority's next meeting this week, which will determine the water usage regulations for the upcoming period.
In the Costa del Sol and Malaga city, local councils currently ban the use of drinking water to fill pools, meaning that raw water from wells or groundwater must be used instead, which then requires filtering in the pool, leading to closures ranging from 24 to 72 hours.
The drought has also been taking its toll on the country's agricultural industry, with farmers warning that the situation is 'critical' because their crops aren't growing in the usual manner.
"It's the first time our well has gone dry in over 13 years," one local from Seville previously warned. "We are having to completely redesign our garden to make it more drought resilient. We've changed our vegetable garden to a fruit orchard, and we recycle the greywater from the washing machines by filtering it through three ponds."
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