Spain is poised to introduce earlier closing times for bars and restaurants, as it seeks to implement a 37.5-hour working week across the country.
The new legislation will affect businesses in popular holiday resorts such as the Canary Islands.
The decision by Spain’s socialist government has alarmed hospitality and tourist businesses, who argue it could deter people from visiting the country.
Spain’s Minister of Labour, Yolanda Diaz, has backed proposals for restaurants, bars and cafes to close by 1.00am at the latest.
Many hospitality businesses stay open until two or three o’clock in the morning, allowing people to party late.
The minister said it was not “reasonable” for bars and restaurants to remain open into the early hours, and they will have to align their opening times with new labour regulations.
“It is crazy to try to continue extending the hours until we don’t know what time,” she said.
Her remarks have produced a furious backlash from cities across Spain as well as industry insiders.
Madrid’s president, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, strongly defended Spain’s vibrant nightlife.
“Spain has the best nightlife in the world… and that also provides jobs,” she wrote on her social media channel.
The leisure and nightlife association, Espana de Noche, warned that curtailing hours could harm Spain’s tourism industry, which thrives on its reputation for a lively nightlife.
They feared that the proposal might provoke a negative reaction from tourists, particularly from the UK, who are drawn to Spain for its warm weather and vibrant night scene.
British visitors contribute a huge amount of money to Spain’s tourism industry.
Brits ranked first in terms of tourist expenditure in Spain in the first quarter of 2024, accounting for 16.4 percent of the total, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).
In 2023, 17.3 million British tourists visited Spain, representing 20.4 percent of the total number of tourists received.
This put the UK in an undisputed first place, surpassing the second largest source market, France, by more than five and a half million tourists.
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