Brits could face booze-free holidays to Spain as hundreds of bar owners try to sell up at huge losses

BARS across Spain are being forced to sell up at massively reduced prices after suffering huge losses due to coronavirus.

British holidays to the country may be very different when tourists are welcomed back as businesses close down.

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Some bar owners have dropped the prices of their establishments as much as £40,000 to try to sell quickly and move on, according to .

This could leave strips of bars and cafes completely empty, if they are forced to close for good.

One bar owner, who asked to remain anonymous, told the local newspaper that he slashed his prices by £20k, but saw others doing double this.

He explained: “We don’t have the cash left to [open again], the lockdown has killed us. We need cash in the bank now and to do that we are forced to sell up and return back to the UK.”

David Abraham, who has run a bar in Costa del Sol for seven years, said he has been “crippled financially” and has slashed the price of his bar by £30k.

He added: “We are flying home as soon as we can and will just leave the bar to be sold as soon as possible by a [local agent].”

Images seen by Euro News Weekly show lists of beach bars, restaurants and cafes all offering cheap deals to try and sell as quickly as possible, with prices as low as €17,500 (£15,200).

Bars in Spain that manage to remain could open by June, according to the president of the Spanish Hospitality Industry Jose Luis Yzuel, as long as they comply with strict regulations.

There is no set date for when bars can start serving drinks again, but in order to serve customers they will have to use thermal imaging that shows whether someone has a fever.

If someone has a high temperature, they would then be barred from entering the premises.

Bars will also have to supply hand sanitisers, prove they undergo extreme cleaning, get their staff tested and increase the distance between tables on the terraces.

Despite this, President of Benidorm’s British Businesses Association, Karen Maling Cowles also told Sun Online Travel that it was unlikely that Brits would be allowed back during peak holiday season.

She said: “British tourism I don’t see happening until September. Because the UK is still so far behind Spain and until you have it contained, people won’t be allowed to come and have their week in Benidorm.”