Here we are in Phase 3 of Covid-19 in Spain. It´s June. The sun is shining. And Marbella and the wider Costa del Sol feel good, despite the alarm that has been expressed in the aftermath of a lock down that has wreaked such havoc on the lives of many. The bars, restaurants, hotels, sports facilities...all of those businesses that rely on tourism for the bulk of their income have got to now slowly start to rebuild themselves where possble. The key, of course, is the incoming arrival of visitors to Malaga. The previous few years have seen a reliable annual increase in the number of visitors, during the summer months especially. Last year, in July and August, the hotel trade reported numbers of 1.32 million travellers staying in hotels alone, a 7% increase on the previous summer. Roll on to 2020, and visitors will be taking their time to return, thanks to a mixture of government legislations curbing free movement, as well as a natural fear that many travellers will experience for their own personal safety. Some may even forego a Spanish holiday all together, preferring to wait until 2021 to grace the Mediterranean shores once again.
However, there is one particular group of a specific nationality who don´t have the luxury of time. These are the British who are cherishing the dream of living under the sun of Southern Spain, or anywhere else for that matter. Against the backdrop of post Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter, the politics of Brexit are still confounding any level-headed Englishman, and the matter has come to be somewhat of a second-tier issue. The chances of a Brexit trade deal are ¨virtually zero,¨ and with the indecisive government of Boris Johnson in charge, anything could happen to interfere with the smooth passage of that particular ship. The disruption already resulting from the pandemic in the supply chain and the movement of people and goods makes a hard Brexit all the more likely. Even more reason for those that wish to get their sun hats on permanently and make that move abroad to get cracking. Under the withdrawal agreement British nationals can settle in another EU member state right up to 31 December 2020 and claim lifetime rights as EU citizens. The process is straight forward, but the clock is ticking, and so if you are in that group of future-expats who haven´t yet got around to taking the plunge, then contact Jones In Marbella and find out how we can help.
