The president of Spain’s Valencia region is campaigning for UK travellers to be exempt from Schengen rules amid calls to make “Brexit as Brexit-less as possible” so British investment can return to the Costa Blanca.
Many Brits spend long periods of the year in the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia and often buy property in areas such as the Costa Blanca, however Brexit and changes to freedom of movement have had an adverse effect on the region’s economy.
The Valencian authorities said there had been a “notable decrease” in British visitor numbers in 2020 compared to the year before, with figures falling from over 3 million to 600,000.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic playing its part, Valencia’s president Ximo Puig has called for easier rules for Brits who do not have Spanish or EU residency after the UK left the European Union, adding: “Recovering the British market is a priority for the Valencian Community.”
During a visit to the World Travel Market in London, Puig told reporters on 1st November that he wants to see UK nationals able to spend more than 90 out of 180 days in the autonomous community without applying for a visa.
The exemption would include “British residents in the Valencian region, future home buyers, and people who come to visit their families”. The authorities estimate that around 100,000 Brits fit into this group.
Puig added that he hopes to make “Brexit as Brexit-less as possible”.
While in London, he also held a meeting with the Spanish Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, to discuss plans.
As of 2021, UK nationals without residency in an EU country can only visit the Schengen Area, including Spain, for 90 days in a period of 180 days. Visitors can depart and re-enter the Schengen territory in the allowed six-month period.
In 2020, the Spanish authorities estimated that between 800,000 and 1 million Brits own property in the country.
Alicante tourism official Carlos Mazon said: “British residents in Alicante Province are a source of wealth for us and one of our best ambassadors for the arrival of British tourism to the Costa Blanca.
“They are fundamental and we are working on reciprocity so that they can also be in our territory for six months in a row when they come to visit us, as these are the conditions that apply for people from Alicante and Spain when they visit the United Kingdom.”
