The minister says that tourism will not return to normal in 2020. It’s doubtful that it will return at all this year, much beyond Spaniards visiting their second homes.

Public places such as bars, restaurants, once eventually reopened, will be faced with regulations this year including spacing and hygiene of the highest regulations and many hotels will not be prepared, some even being presently extension hospitals.

The comments from the Minister have caused fury amongst traders on the Costa del Sol who feel she should be promoting, promoting and promoting rather than being of such negative attitude.

“Typical of Spain, I still can’t believe her comments though, now’s the time to be enticing people back, not putting them off, we can’t wait until 2021 and she should be promoting coming after this crisis not putting people off, does she want to kill businesses off with these type of comments?” said Stephanie Bootle a bar waitress normally in Fuengirola.

“How negative saying that, always the same, mañana mañana attitude once again from the Spanish, we don’t have the time to wait, we need to be getting on with it,” said Kevin Lock, a bar owner in Marbella.

Whilst British-owned businesses in Spain who need to get back trading it’s thought that there is a different opinion of the government who seem to have written off the year already by April as expressed by Benidorm bar owner David Jenkins, “I can’t believe the thought process, I really am flabbergasted by them, us Brits stand up and fight all the odds and we will not just give up, it’s only April with eight months of 2020 still left. The minister should be promoting not saying don’t bother and writing off the year, stats already show people can’t wait to get here, I think she should be sacked, she’s hardly an advert for positivity is she?”