The country is at risk of wildfires
UK holidaymakers have been advised to reconsider their travel plans to Spain, with those planning trips to Turkey or Greece also facing potential disruption.
A BBC Morning Live expert has sounded the alarm over an issue which is putting UK tourists’ trips at risk.
Travel journalist Ash Bhardwaj has raised concerns about the wildfire season, cautioning Brits: “We’re entering wildfire season, which peaks in July and August, and some of these places are seeing temperatures that peak at over 50 degrees Celsius.
“As a place gets drier and hotter, you’re more likely to get wildfires. Over the last five years, 13 per cent of travel insurance claims have been evacuations or related to natural disasters, so this is something that can affect your travel.”
Residents and visitors in the Canary Islands are on high alert for forest fires as authorities maintain a state of pre-alert.
Rising temperatures, dry conditions, and the recent arrival of a calima – dry, dusty winds from the Sahara – have heightened the risk of forest fires on the islands, reports Birmingham Live.
The local government has issued a statement on its website saying: “Given the current climatic, meteorological, and environmental circumstances, having passed the usual period of precipitation in the Canary Islands and, as established in section 2.10 of the INFOCA, it is estimated that the conditions are in place to declare a Pre-Alert Situation due to this being a period of medium to high risk of forest fires.”
Spain’s tourism industry is already feeling the pinch due to escalating anti-tourism protests ahead of the peak season.
Under the slogan ‘Canarias tiene un limite’ (The Canaries has a limit), demonstrators gathered on the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, Gran Canaria, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma last month.
Activists want to limit the number of tourists visiting the islands, ban new hotel construction and introduce a tougher tourist tax, among other measures.