chrisandvee

I have a property in campoverdie, near pilar on the costa blanca.
According to some friends they were told that the village used to have a population of 6000 and now its down to 3000 and only going to get worse.
Im over for a holiday in the next few weeks and ive been also told half the bars and restaraunts have shut down.
Can anyone shed any light on this, its all so sad.
Do you think people will come back in the future?
I think its such a shame as so much money has been spent on infrastructure for us all to enjoy

CBANDY

Things are not good i know and there are a lot of buisnesses closing but there are still a few people around. Mostly shopping in the supermarkets rather than going out for meals and drinks.

Mitzyboy

Its getting busier by the day down in the towns here .... I havent noticed businesses dissapearing, apart from the English pasty shop in town which didnt seem to last long

missile

I did not see so many people in Campoverde last time I passed through. Maybe the people who live in these holiday home urbanisations are staying at "home". There are a few businesses closing down, but I would suggest not any more than in any comparible UK town.

cricketman

What I've noticed in the Costa del sol is a huge increase in Spanish tourists here. It was mentioned on the news aswell. Spanish tourists cant afford to go abroad this year so more likely to stay in Spain. And yes, a lot less British tourists around

That sounds good for Spanish businesses, less so for British ones. Even more important that you appeal to all nationalities

Fortaleza

Seen the reports too but they are a bit naughty, IMHO.

As a very broad generalisation, for their summer break in July/August, most Spaniards ALWAYS stay in Spain, recession or not. The cityfolk decamp to the coast. There is not a high percentage of Spaniards who travel abroad for their summer holidays (although there seems to have been an increase in those who do city mini-breaks at other times of the year in recent years). What some people used to do in the past was maybe spend some days - a week maybe - abroad, somewhere like France, Italy etc, but would then also spend the rest of their holidays in Spain - usually in places with links to extended family.

From what I can see this year, those who might have spent a portion of their holidays abroad may just stay at the beach in Spain. Also, whereas some may have done some extensive travelling inside Spain ( eg From Andalucia in the south to Galicia in the very north) as part of their break, many are opting to stay in just one place and are staying much closer to home.

Just as the UK media is really playing up the Euro/Pound exchange rate and that we should support the local economy by staying in UK etc, these stories in Spain media about Spaniards staying in Spain are presumably designed to do the same - although there is absolutely no need for them to state the obvious. It's a bit like running a 'news' story stating that this year, all Spaniards will go on holiday in July or August.

chrisandvee

Really looking forward to coming back for a holiday and a bit of culture

mikelincs

The one here lasted less than 5 weeks, from going to open, to being closed and padlocked.

jackytoo

What is it about those pasty shops. Was intending to try one here and it closed suddenly.

There may be a lot of tourists around but according to this article not as many as usual.

http://www.diariosur.es/20090715/mal...-20090715.html

Less of everything

Sam Greenfield

Did all the pasty shops sprout up after that Spanish programme showing someone setting on up and showing how well it did ?????