Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

It's been missed - but now it's back...

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1751599/thumbs/o-PEPE-900.jpg

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

that can't be Madrid - those are People standing around watching
;)

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

I think I can see a customer in one of those bars.

Probably find out for sure tomorrow on the Spain is booming thread, I guess. ;)

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

Tourism to Madrid up by 6.6% in first quarter, with a 71.5% increase in British tourists:

http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/2118...marzo/aumenta/

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

The 71.5% figure sounds a bit far fetched:confused: must have been from a low level. Could be they are counting bums on seats and many were Spaniards flying in from the UK for the holiday.

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

I don't trust anything from Spanish statistics - somebody changes something in a database somewhere, the figures jump/crash and hit the headlines for a few days, and nobody dares mention that the real reason might be that they've changed the way they're measuring things.

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

Can't see the logic in that, as "Spaniards flying in from the UK for the holiday" would have done it before, and besides Easter fell in April this year (the report covers Jan to March if it's the first quarter).
Could just be down to Easyjet or Ryanair re-instating flights to Madrid (just guessing here). I know that BA/Iberia have various daily flights to Madrid from UK airports, but they've done so for a while, and whenever I've taken a flight it's been at full occupancy (or close to it).

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/06/04/...72_649579.html

I know the country and Madrid in particular is stony broke, but with tourism one of the countries main sources of income it seems surprising they can't get their priorities right and maintain such an important building.

Maybe it was not without just cause, they were thrown out of the Olympic bidding at the first hurdle.

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

Record breaking October for tourism in Madrid, and possibly a record breaking year:

http://www.madridiario.es/economia/a...turismo/417662

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

Madrid's shocking slum shames Spanish capital - The Local

A bit rough for these kids.

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

Yes it's terrible - been all over the news here - though it's a strange headline to use (I don't think the poverty in Andalucia "shames Andalucia" for example). Plenty of empty homes for them though - although that might not necessarily deal with the problem.

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

It is shocking, but one must mention that these are almost all Romanian immigrants who have arrived in the past 10 years whose parents are illiterate and in many cases are heroin addicts. Most havent even applied for the 450 euros per month that they are entitled to

They mainly earn money from stealing copper out of electricity wiring

They should get help and the slum cleared of course

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

Why are they entitled to 450€ per month - is that paro? Don't they have to have worked previously to get this - as immigrants, they can't have done though.

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

Everbody in Spain who has nobody working in the household (and no declared income) is entitled to a 450 euro per month emergency payment

That has been the situation for some years now

Re: What is happening to Madrid!
 

Even if they've never paid any social security before?