Spain – Page 4 – आवारा मुसाफिर

Pandemic delays completion of Spain’s Sagrada Familia

May 26, 20211270 Views

Souvenir shops are mostly closed and only a few tourists gaze at Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia, a stark contrast from the hordes of visitors before the pandemic, but the board running Antoni Gaudi’s unfinished basilica hopes that will change soon. It will reopen from May 29 on weekend mornings after closing in October, hoping to benefit from the easing of coronavirus restrictions and expected tourism recovery in Spain, the world’s second-most visited country before the pandemic. An interior of the landmark Sagrada Familia basilica is seen, closed since October of last year, delaying its target of finishing construction by 2026, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Barcelona Spain, May 18, 2021. REUTERS/Nacho Doce The UNESCO World Heritage Site has been hit hard by th...

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Tourists invited to rural Spain to save dying villages

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May 22, 2021430 Views

Instead of the traditional sand and sea holidays, foreign tourists are invited to enjoy the charms of the Spanish countryside, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday, launching an ambitious plan to save Spain’s dying villages. The 10 billion euro ($12.18 billion) plan aims to save rural life in a nation where 42% of villages are at risk of depopulation compared to a European Union average of 10%. FILE PHOTO: A villager drinks coffee at the only bar in Peleas de Abajo, in northwestern Spain. REUTERS/Susana Vera “I would especially like to emphasize that (tourists) should enjoy the rich rural tourist attractions that our country has, one of the jewels in the crown,” Sanchez told a meeting in Madrid of mayors from rural towns. From Monday, Spain will open up to tourists fr...

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Too quiet for comfort: Spanish party town worries about tourist season

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March 29, 2021937 Views

Quiet and birdsong have replaced the sounds of thumping music and fun-loving tourists in the popular Mallorca resort of Magaluf, and the prospect of another potentially lost season is weighing heavily on locals. Along the deserted main drag, bars that usually throng with mainly British tourists to the Spanish island are shuttered. Some have put up hand-made paper signs saying “we love tourists” and “we will be back in 2021”. “It’s very strange, it’s like a ghost city,” said a 35-year-old Italian tourist from Florence, who gave only her first name, Virginia. She and her friend Helena were among the few tourists to make it to Magaluf for a spring holiday as much of Europe grapples to get coronavirus under control. FILE PHOTO: A closed hotel at Magaluf beach, in the Spanish island o...

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As Germans return to Mallorca, Spain hopes tourism rebound is not short-lived

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March 23, 2021721 Views

Spain hopes foreign tourism can rebound to half its pre-pandemic levels this year, the government said on Monday, as a wave of German holidaymakers hit Mallorca’s white-sand beaches after Berlin eased restrictions on returnees. Influx of German sunseekers to Spain’s Balearic Islands is providing a welcome boost to the local economy, however businesses and holidaymakers fear the revival could be cut short if Berlin reintroduces quarantine for returning tourists. Christian, Uruguayan waiter and co-owner of the terrace bar "Zu Krone" serves customers in Playa de Palma beach in Palma de Mallorca following Berlin's lifted quarantine requirement for travelers returning from the Balearic Islands, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Spain March 22, 2021. REUTERS/Enrique Calvo ...

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Locked-down Spaniards seethe with envy as Germans flock to Mallorca

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March 18, 2021643 Views

Tens of thousands of Germans are planning last-minute Easter getaways to Spain’s sun-kissed islands, leaving many Spaniards, who are not allowed to do the same because of a travel ban, upset. “It makes absolutely no sense that in Spain we can’t move between regions but any foreigner can come in ... and spread infection,” said Emilio Rivas, 23, who lives in Madrid. The young tax assessor wanted to get out of town for the holidays but must instead stay home because Spain banned travel between regions over Easter to avoid a repeat of a spike in contagion seen after an easing in restrictions over Christmas. FILE PHOTO: People sunbathe and swim on El Arenal beach, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. REUTERS/Enrique Calvo But tourist...

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A farewell to bulls! Spain’s Pamplona festival on verge of cancellation again

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February 2, 2021382 Views

Spain’s San Fermin festival, which attracts tourists from all over the world for the running of the bulls through the streets of Pamplona, will be cancelled for the second year in a row because of COVID-19, the regional head said on Tuesday. But amid much disagreement and handwringing across Spain over how strict pandemic restrictions should be, Pamplona’s mayor was quick to say no decision had yet been made. FILE PHOTO: A countdown clock and traditional red scarves are seen on balconies along the 875-meter course of the running of the bulls from a corral to the bullring, at Estafeta street during the San Fermin festival which was cancelled due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Pamplona, Spain July 7, 2020. REUTERS/Jon Nazca “An international festival like San Fe...

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Rare snowstorm Filomena creates havoc in Spain

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January 9, 2021893 Views

Two people died in Spain and troops rescued drivers trapped by snow as Storm Filomena caused travel chaos across the country, with Madrid seeing the heaviest snowfall in decades. Heavy snowfall from Storm Filomena caused travel chaos across Spain and Madrid airport remained closed. The airport in Madrid was closed and skiers glided down Gran Via, normally one of the busiest streets in the capital. People walk after leaving their vehicles on an access road to the M-30 motorway during a heavy snowfall in Madrid, Spain January 8, 2021. REUTERS/Susana Vera “Owing to the forecast of snow and for security, Madrid Barajas airport will remain closed throughout Saturday,” Aena, which controls the country’s airports, said in a tweet. The airport was closed on Friday night after the rare...

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From tourism to COVID-era deliveries – Barcelona women reinvent bike business

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December 21, 2020865 Views

When the coronavirus slammed Spain in March, Ariadna Serra realised that 2020 and beyond looked dreadful for the cycling tours for foreign students company she co-founded ten years ago. So Serra, 41, and five of her female co-workers explored new opportunities over virtual drinks. They decided to follow their passion for cycling to fund a delivery company using bikes in Barcelona, aiming to benefit from the online shopping boom prompted by the pandemic. Les Mercedes, as the company is called, was founded in July by the six women and is run by five of them, aged 35 to 45 from Spain, France and Argentina. It is organised as a cooperative and describes itself as “ethical, sustainable and inclusive.” Geraldine Caillaud, member of the bicycle delivery company Les Mercedes, leaves thei...

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Skiers hit slopes after restrictions are eased

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December 15, 2020901 Views

Skiers hit the slopes of Catalonia on Monday for the first time this season after the Spanish region eased coronavirus restrictions that had prevented people leaving their home municipality. “The important thing is to say that from today you can ski in Spain,” said May Peus Espana, head of Spain’s winter sports federation. “Spanish snowsports are embarking on what is doubtless going to be an excellent season.” People queue to enter a ski lift as La Masella ski resort re-opens observing nationwide coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, in Masella, Spain, December 14, 2020. REUTERS/Albert Gea Skiing has become a contentious issue across Europe this winter, with countries including France, Germany and Italy shuttering resorts to avoid a repeat of last season when stations beca...

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Customers prepay for drinks to save the bar on the rocks

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December 4, 2020642 Views

Faced with the prospect of closure amid the coronavirus pandemic, a cozy tapas bar in the centre of Madrid appealed to its clients in an emotional video in late October to help it stay afloat by paying for their food and drink in advance. Over the past five weeks, El miniBAR has received 40,000 euros ($48,592) from some 400 loyal customers who prepaid for food and drink they hope to return to the bar to enjoy later. Owner Nacho Bustos keeps a list and the customers just need to give their phone number so the amount is deducted from what they paid in advance. Owner Nacho Bustos stands inside El Minibar bar amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Madrid, Spain, December 2, 2020. REUTERS/Sergio Perez “El miniBAR is almost a second home to me, so I think it’s a great idea...