Spanish Bank Holidays Announced For 2018. There has been a mixture of surprise, delight, and anger following the surprise announcement by the Spanish government this week.
Spanish Bank Holidays Announced For 2018
The Spanish government has taken an unusual and controversial position over public holidays in Spain for 2018. A press release from the Department Internal Costings Kiosko states “The Government have taken on board feedback from our citizens, and from the millions of tourists who visit Spain every year. We acknowledge that our current bank holiday system is confusing and complicated.”
The statement continues “In 2018 we will remove all confusion over whether a day is a bank holiday or not, by declaring that the whole year is now a bank holiday. Usual bank holiday rules will be enforced every single day of the year. We expect that this move will boost the economy, stimulate national growth, and stop people whinging that they didn’t know the shops would be shut today.”
We wanted to show you a picture of shops in Benalmadena closed on a bank holiday, but our photographer is visiting his mum in England so he sent this picture of shops closed in Clacton on a normal day.
Lazy British Business Owners
Pablo Perezoso is a business owner in Marbella, selling luxury goods at discount prices. He told Costa Del Sol Update “This is an outrage, how can we survive? I can’t do any business for a whole year, but I still have to pay my staff a full salary and benefits. This might be OK for those lazy British business owners who don’t work anyway, for me it’s a disaster”.
Expat Reactions
The news of the year long bank holiday has gone down well with some expats including Judith Pruditch in Benalmadena. She said “I think it’s lovely, it will be like we’re all retired and don’t have to worry about work. I think I’m retired anyway. I’m not sure. It’s a nice idea though.”
However, not everyone is pleased with this announcement. Chris Pyss from Birmingham now lives in Estepona. He said “I’m not from Birmingham actually, I’m from Bearwood. I think this is a disgrace. They haven’t thought it through. Where are we supposed to buy food and things? All the shops will be shut. My wife needs her Yorkshire Tea Bags not that Spanish muck they serve in cafes here. It’s a disgrace”.
We don’t have a picture of Chris Pyss because as we’ve mentioned our photographer is on holiday. So here is picture of bike which we hope you will enjoy.
Brexit
There are suggestions that this year long holiday could be a reaction to the impending Brexit. Anne Fernandez is a spokesperson for Spanish Housing In Torremolinos. She says “We have properties sat here empty at the moment. This big holiday will surely tempt people to leave Britain and buy here again, and live the easy life”.
She goes on to comment “It’s a shrewd move by the Spanish Government. Give everyone a year off, loads of people will move here from Britain, then Brexit will happen. They can’t go home, and we can tax them to within an inch of their weekly giro. It’s very smart.”
British pensioners like this lady are expected to snap up bargain properties during the year long holiday.
Are you happy about taking a year off work? Have your say in the comments section below.
Written by Paige Turner, Costa Del Sol Update, 10.12.2017
