Over the past five years or so, the worldwide recession has had a devastating effect on a number of industry sectors in countries all over the world. From manufacturing in Mexico to finance in France, it seems no market is completely safe from the ravages of the economic downturn. The simple fact is that consumers have far less money to spend than before, and the end result is that every company is fighting harder for a smaller market share.
- Spanish HolidaysR.Duran / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
The tourism industry has been particularly hard hit by the recession. Every year, various countries around the world can expect to welcome a certain amount of visitors, but those numbers have dwindled in recent times. And while some nations don’t rely too much on the tourist dollar, others have become increasingly dependent on it. One such country is Spain, and as the 2013 summer season approaches there is nervousness in the air.
There are a great many restaurants, hotels and bars which have failed to survive the financial difficulties, and those that remain have been trying hard to continue to attract visitors. The winner in all of this has been the traveller, purely because the prices for items such as accommodation, food and drinks have been reduced in a bid to bring in the customers. The savings that can now be made are often substantial.
Time to get back on the plane
If you, like many other people, have missed out on overseas holidays in the last couple of years, this could be a good time to start travelling again. There are some incredible bargains to be had at the moment, and in many cases it’s actually cheaper to fly to Spain than it is to take a vacation at home. And with the wonderful climate that can usually be found in the traditional Spanish hot-spots, the chances are you will have a wonderful time.
In many of the restaurants and bars in the tourist regions, you are likely to find lower prices on most items. As an added bonus, however you may also encounter special offers that will make them even more tempting. By eating an evening meal at an earlier time, for example, and taking advantage of two for one deals in bars, you could enjoy a budget holiday that would have seemed impossible only a few short years ago.
Even peripheral items such as car hire and admission tickets to theme and water parks will often be less expensive now. For the cost-conscious tourist, Spain perhaps represents a better prospect than it has for some time, so now could be the time to make the most of it.
David Showell lives in the UK and works for a Barcelona Airport car hire specialist.
