Department will not discourage Spanish travel plans

Irish people due to holiday in Spain, where there have been two bomb explosions since Saturday, are not advised by the Department…

Irish people due to holiday in Spain, where there have been two bomb explosions since Saturday, are not advised by the Department of Foreign Affairs to change their travel plans.

However, tour operators are warning holidaymakers to be vigilant.

Close to half a million Irish people holiday in Spain, including the Canary Islands, every summer, according to the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA). Some 200,000 of these holiday on the mainland.

Chief executive of the ITAA, Mr Brendan Moran, said the group was carefully monitoring the situation and while there were concerns about terrorist activity, his advice - based on information from the Department of Foreign Affairs - was that people should not feel hindered from travelling to Spain.

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He said there was no sense of panic among holidaymakers in Spain and those arriving on holiday from Ireland were being advised by their tour operator to exercise caution and report any suspicious packages to the authorities.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs advised holidaymakers to be aware of what was happening and respond promptly to instructions from local security forces. "But we do not discourage people from travelling," he said.

He confirmed that, contrary to earlier reports, there were no Irish among the injured following the Salou blast on Saturday, for which ETA claimed responsibility. The Basque separatist group indicated in March that it might target Spanish tourist areas as part of its campaign for independence for its regions in northern Spain.

Thirteen people were injured in the Salou explosion, and a woman was killed and two children injured in a blast in San Sebastian yesterday.

Ms Jacinta McGlynn, spokeswoman for Budget Travel, said the company was issuing its customers with letters advising them of the situation on their arrival in Spain. The letter states: "The threat to Irish citizens in Spain remains low but Irish nationals, residents and visitors throughout Spain should be aware that there is a risk. Visitors and residents should of course continue to report anything of a suspicious nature, including bags or other objects to the police."

She said Spain was extremely popular with Irish tourists because of its excellent infrastructure and the brevity of flights from Ireland to its resorts.

Ms McGlynn added that Budget Travel took the safety of its customers extremely seriously and was monitoring the situation closely through its personnel on the ground.

A spokeswoman for Panorama said the company had been keeping abreast of the situation and had regular contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs. "Our advice is the same as that of the Department of Foreign Affairs," she said.

"We haven't had any cancellations and in fact we are continuing to get strong interest in Spain as a destination."