Daily Mail mocked for ‘post-Brexit rule severely impacting’ Spanish tourism article

It emerged this week that former Spanish tourism officials have called for the EU to scrap the 90-day limit imposed on British travellers after Brexit.

Needless to say, the Daily Mail excitedly seized the story, reporting that “Spanish tourism officials have called for the European Union to axe its 90-day travel limit on British holidaymakers.”

Under EU and Schengen rules, UK passport holders can only spend 90 days within any rolling 180-day period in the bloc without a visa. Before Brexit, British citizens enjoyed full freedom of movement, meaning they could travel, live and stay in EU countries indefinitely.

The irony of the Mail’s reporting is difficult to miss. The newspaper, which campaigned heavily for Brexit, effectively found itself explaining the direct consequences of the policy it once championed. As the article acknowledged: “British citizens could travel freely across Europe, staying for as long as they wished in EU-member countries. However, that changed in 2021 when the UK left the EU’s free movement system as a result of Brexit.”

It went further still, noting that “Britain’s membership of the EU has long been a thorny subject” and that “a narrow majority” voted to leave in 2016, wording that could be interpreted as a remarkably subdued reflection on a project the paper once promoted with fervour.

Yet the report was also criticised for being somewhat misleading. The 90-day rule does not meaningfully affect most British tourists. The vast majority of holidaymakers, families taking one or two weeks in Spain during the summer, for example, are entirely unaffected. The restrictions primarily impact Britons who spend extended periods abroad, such as retirees wintering in Spain, second-home owners, remote workers, and those with business interests across Europe.

That important distinction was largely absent from the Mail’s report, which presented the issue as a broad attack on ordinary “British holidaymakers.”

There was also criticism of how the article characterised its sources. The piece claimed “Spanish tourism officials” were warning that the rule was damaging Spain’s economy. In reality, the individuals quoted, Fernando Valdés and Héctor Gómez, are former tourism ministers rather than current officials, a detail that significantly weakens the suggestion of an active policy push from Spain.

Online reaction to the article was justifiably brutal.

Posting the piece on social media, pro-EU campaign group Bremain in Spain, said: “If Brexit is harming Spain’s economy, that’s nothing compared to what it’s doing to the UK’s!”

To which someone replied: “I’m no expert, but I’d have thought very few working people would want to spend 90 days out of 180 on holiday. I can see it could affect second home owners.”

Others noted how the Spanish economy is thriving, including the tourism industry.

“More rubbish from the daily heil… Spain’s economy is booming. The tourism sector is performing very strongly and has been consistently beating previous record numbers. Brexit hasn’t hurt Spain at all,” was one comment.

“We don’t rely on just Brits here. We have all EU and non EU living here. Daily Fail crap again,” was another.

“The Fail occupies a totally different planet from sane people,” a third said.