Visitors to the Costa Tropical this Easter will have a hard time finding a hotel room.

There is no doubt that the decision not to open the provincial borders within Andalucìa was a blow to the Costa Tropical hotel sector, so much so that they’re not going to reopen for Easter.

In fact, Andalucía is the only region in all of Spain to maintain provincial lockdowns – they may prove to be a big mistake, economically, or a wise move health wise – time will tell.

Many people from other provinces in Andalucía had made reservations in preparation for Semana Santa but as soon as the Junta’s decision was announced to impede interprovincial travel, the cancellations started coming in.

So, the Costa Tropical, and indeed, the whole of the province, is depending on the Granadinos to save the day.

The Federación Provincial de Hostelería y Turismo de Granada calculates that only 15% of tourist accommodations is operative at the moment, mainly rural accommodation and hostels.

The Junta sweetened this ‘bad news’ with extended opening times for bars and restaurants, which means that they will be able to serve dinner at a reasonable time (for Spaniards) which is 21.00h, instead of relying solely on lunchtime sittings.

The Chairman of the Asociación de Hoteleros de la Costa Tropical, Jesús Megías, says that with 90% of hotel beds presently not available because larger hotels can’t see the point of opening for Easter, preferring to put their faith in summer, it is only the hostels and smaller hotels that are offering accommodation.

Even campings have taken a hit; Camping Don Cactus in Carchuna/Calahonda says that they had 80% of their bungalows reserved, which fell to 30% soon after the Junta’s decision to keep the provincial border closed.

(News: Granada, Andalucia)