How is the situation for tourists right now in Spain?

Question

We all know what happened today in Madrid - a terrible tragedy where over 150 people lost their lives in a plane crash. My heart goes out to the families of the victims.

I had a trip booked to Barcelona next week. My question is, does it make sense to change my plans because of the situation right now in Spain? Not because of any flight safety concerns, but just the atmosphere and the crowd's mood in Barcelona. Thanks.

Answer 1

This was a terrible accident, but I can't think how it would affect your trip to Barcelona.  It's not going to change the atmosphere in any way, and there is no 'situation' in Spain.  A lot of sadness of course for the victims and their families, but tourism will not be affected.

Answer 2

There is no "mood" or "situation" in Spain at the moment.  It was an accident.  If you have no concerns over aircraft safety, then you need not have any concerns about visiting Spain.  What a question.

Answer 3

Yesterday's outbound plane crash was horrible. A true tragedy.

People are mourning the 150+ lives lost yesterday but I can assure you that no one (or only a few) has changed their air travel plans because of it. Spaniards are very resilient in this regard. They mourn deeply but they don't allow events out of their control to stop them from living.

There are no flight-safety concerns in Spain. This horrible tragedy happened to one particular airplane. While certainly not the same in scale or horror, it's like one car breaking down and having an accident on the highway causing the deaths of all its passengers. People, upon hearing the news, don't stop driving because of it.

But regarding the crowd's mood in Barcelona, I seriously doubt it has changed much. People in Barcelona are no doubt touched by what happened in Madrid but it's not the same as if it happened in your own city. Some people will certainly be talking about it on the streets of Barcelona but I doubt it'll change the overall atmosphere.

People in Barcelona are similar to those in Madrid in that they don't let horrible accidents or terrorist attacks stop them from living, stop them from going out, stop them from enjoying life. I really love that about the Spanish people. Other cultures and other countries would shut and lock their door and fear going out after something like this happens. Spaniards are not stifled by fear. I really admire them.

So NO! Don't cancel or alter your Barcelona-bound plans. You'll have a GREAT time, I assure you.

Saludos, BarcelonaMan/MadridMan @ you-know-where!

Answer 4

Your worrying about something that isn't there. If you are frightened of flying then I understand, but the atmosphere in Barcelona will be just as good as always

Live inSpain

Answer 5

The situation is the same that anywhere in the world. You know what happened, it's a little scary to take a plane right now because it can happen to anyone but it will go away as time goes by.

I don't understand the "crowd's mood" thing.

I mean, if you are from Manchester and a plane crashes in London would you cancel any trip because of that? Even if the trip was to London?

By the way, in Madrid planes were landing and taking off in the same airport a few hours later with no problems at all.

Answer 6

Because this was not any sort of terrorist attack, I wouldn't think that Spain's "mood" would be affected. It is sad, especially for the families and friends of the victims. I'd keep your plans. This was no 9/11, just a very tragic, unfortunate plane crash. Enjoy Barceolona! Don't cancel!