HOTELS in the Guadiaro Valley in the Serrania de Ronda, Andalucia are being hit hard by the latest volcanic fallout as tourists from Northern Europe have their air travel plans totally frustrated. As the flight disruption enters its fourth day and with flights for Monday already cancelled by many airlines, the outlook is complicated for all parties. The Hotel Molino del Santo in Benaoján has recently been turning away reservations for the second half of April because all rooms were occupied – and now finds itself with lots of empty space as dozens of guests are simply unable to make the journey.

Hotel owner Andy Chapell says, "In twenty-four years of trading I have never seen such difficult conditions. During the Iraq war of the early 1990s a few people cancelled on grounds of conscience and 9/11 saw Americans stay at home but there was a balance between people who cancelled and people who came to Andalucia rather than travel farther afield so the effect was minimal. The cancellations of so many British and German visitors means that there are large gaps in our booking patterns which we were not expecting. This time the uncertainty means no-one really knows how to react. We know we have a very loyal following of people who are addicted to the area and especially to our hotel, but for the foreseeable future we have to think we are unlikely to see many of them. We will be asking our staff to take extra holidays if the situation does not improve rapidly."

Hotel guests who are already in Andalucia, and unable to return to their home countries, are helping proprietors to keep a number of rooms busy for a little while but as these people make their way home by convoluted routes, they are not being replaced.

Similar problems are being experienced at the Hotel El Gecko in Cortes de la Frontera. Owners Maxine and Bill Findlay have had guests cancel walking holidays this week because they cannot travel to Spain. Max says, "The lucky Findlay's have copped another direct hit - first the train, then the flood and now a volcanic ash cloud! We are keeping our eyes pealed for the locusts, famine, pestilence or invasion from China."

Some hotels will be making special offers to fill unexpectedly empty rooms. People who are able to visit the area without using air transport – those with their own vehicles and people living in Spain - should be able to negotiate very good deals.

"Thank goodness the train service is to be reinstated this week," says Andy Chapell. "Between the absence of trains, the wettest winter in living memory and a recession affecting local Spaniards hard, this volcanic effect could not have come at a more difficult time. Everyone understands that safety must come first but let’s hope those safe conditions return as soon as possible."

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Hotels Suffer Fallout From Icelandic Volcano
Sunday, 18 April 2010
HOTELS in the Guadiaro Valley in the Serrania de Ronda, Andalucia are being hit hard by the latest volcanic fallout as tourists from Northern...

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