Spain tackles resort security

The tourist industry is vital to Spain's economy

By Flora Botsford in Madrid

The Spanish Interior Ministry has announced plans to reinforce security in tourist areas this summer, including a boost in numbers for police and civil guards.

A new helpline is also being set up with operators able to communicate in English, German and French, which tourists can use to report any crimes.

The extra measures are costing the Spanish Government around 545m pesetas (£2m) and will be deployed in the most popular tourist areas like the Costa del Sol and the Balearic and Canary Islands.

Officials believe an ETA attack was planned against a ferry in Santander

The government is taking seriously a threat by the Basque separatist group ETA to target tourist areas this summer.

There has also been an increase in recent years in the number of robberies, violent attacks, rapes or attempted rapes on tourists in Spain, although the figure is still lower than in other European countries.

Spain is the biggest package holiday destination for British travellers - more than 13 million are expected to visit this year.

The UK Foreign Office is urging anyone worried about travelling to Spain to consult its travel advice. Officials say that, statistically, the threat to British citizens remains very low.

The number for tourists to call free from inside Spain to report crimes is 902102112