Bookings are going ‘through the roof’ at Alicante’s top airport transfer business as owners think British tourism in Benidorm is set to rebound this autumn/ winter.

Alicante Transfers boss Dave McQueen said the business is currently seeing the same of numbers of bookings ‘as in 2019’ for the upcoming autumn tourist season.

Autumn 2019 was of course just before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic – Spain locked down on 14th March 2020. Before which time British tourism made up 44% of all visitors to the Costa Blanca beach city.

“The Benidorm hotel association HOSBEC say they are seeing currently British tourists make up just 16% of total visitors,” McQueen said.

“So if we’re getting the same numbers of bookings as in 2019, as soon as British tourists rise to 44% of all visitors our bookings are going to go through the roof.”

It is a relief for the firm which was due to open the doors of a brand-new beach-front ticket office in Benidorm on 15th March 2020 – one day after Spain called a nation-wide state of alarm. (You can find more about their new office HERE)

“We’d put everything in place to open the ticket office and paid all the staff ready for another Benidorm summer,” McQueen said.

But things are looking up as bookings are particularly strong for October, November and December.

“We don’t normally get any stag or hen bookings for after November, but this year we’ve already got about 20” McQueen said.

“We believe that is going to be a late winter boom for Benidorm and British tourists as the traffic light system changes.

“We’re starting to see 200 bookings for a weekend whereas three weeks ago we were only doing 20.”

It comes as UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced a major relaxing of travel rules from 4th October 2021.

From that date, passengers who are fully vaccinated will no longer need to take a pre-departure test when returning to the England from Benidorm.

From the end of October, returning travellers will be able to replace the day-two PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow test.

Unvaccinated travellers will still have to pay for PCR tests. The rules will be in place for October half term.

The changes will be applied to England only.