Popular British holiday destination Benidorm has refused demands by the Spanish government to house migrants in luxury hotels for just £35 per night.
Human rights organisations have asked areas of mainland Spain to help accommodate the large number of asylum seekers arriving on the Canary Islands.
In October alone, nearly 15,000 people arrived on the islands.
In total, so far in 2023 more than 44,000 asylum seekers have reached Spain – up 57.5 per cent on last year.
Migrant arrivals to the Canary Islands has increased this year
REUTERS
Valencian Hotel Association HOSBEC, which represents hotels in Benidorm, said it would not be taking in more migrants unless the demand came officially from government authorities.
A spokesman said: “In the last 72 hours, several hoteliers in the Valencian Community have expressed their bewilderment after being contacted by external organisations offering flexible accommodation contracts for refugees in the coming weeks, adapted to each establishment’s economic and service conditions.”
Earlier this month, a Guardamar del Segura hotel on the southern Costa Blanca agreed to take in around 230 migrants to help with ease the burden on the Canary Islands.
They are staying in the luxury four-star Parquemar hotel which is advertised online as “as being next to the beach in a privileged location”.
The luxury four-star Parquemar hotel on the southern Costa Blanca took in migrants earlier this month
It adds that it is “surrounded by the pine trees of the Reina Sofia Forest in Guardamar de la Segura” and is the “perfect place” for holidaying.
The deal, struck between the Government and the hotel operator, will last until the end of this year.
It was argued that the hotel would have been empty during the winter months of the year with little to know guests.
Only men are being housed in the hotel with a curfew in place that forbids the asylum seekers from entering or exiting the hotel after 10pm.
Spain has been grappling with how to house the surge in migrants reaching its shores.
Temporary accommodation camps in the country are already overcrowded.
Earlier this month nearly 150 people were forced to spend their first night in the garage of a police station in south Tenerife due to a lack of suitable accommodation.
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