Spain holidays: Holiday destination to change swimming pool rules from June after drought emergency measures were enforced

Spain has announced new swimming pool rules after the country has seen rainfall over the past few weeks. The country has said it will ease its swimming pool restrictions from June as the drought that hit the popular holiday destination has ended.

Spain was battling its worst drought in 200 years. However, recent rainfall has allowed the government to end emergency water-saving measures it had imposed. Tourists renting villas and apartments with pools in the Costa del Sol region were forced to preserve water under strict rules.

As of 1 June private accommodations in Malaga province will be allowed to be filled with mains water. Filling pools will be permitted as long as the average water use per inhabitant in a local council area does not go over a set limit, taking into account the number of residents and tourists. This will still be set at 200 litres per day, apart from in the western Costa, which includes Estepona and Marbella, where the limit is being increased to 225 litres.

The decision by the Junta de Andalucía regional government committee came after fears were raised that holidaymakers would 'cancel their trips' to Spain if swimming pool rules were not eased in time for summer. A protest was held in Malaga last month following claims some tourist lets had already received cancellation requests.

Samantha Austin, representing around 50,000 tourist flats on the coast, told Sur in English that travellers were waiting for a decision on the pool restrictions for the peak summer holiday season and “deciding whether to come or not”. 

She told the outlet: "I have many clients waiting to hear from me as they're deciding whether to come or not. If there is no pool, they are going to change their destination this year. 

“We are having cancellations and we are going to have more." Hotel pools and public pools already had their restrictions relaxed in April.