A quarrel broke out between the two neighboring countries, and tourists, as always, turned out to be the most extreme: As a result of a diplomatic scandal between Spain and the British territory of Gibraltar, tourists crossing the border between these states began to be looked after with passion, causing anger.
All tourists to Gibraltar have already been warned about “shocking new passport checks” by Spain, which are reportedly causing huge delays. At the same time, Spain denied the introduction of new rules.
According to the Spanish press, Gibraltar has warned that it will increase passport checks, accusing the Spanish authorities of introducing strict security measures “without warning”. “The Spanish border authorities introduced a new regime of passport control without prior warning. The new practice is causing a significant number of passports to be scanned, including those belonging to residents of Gibraltar and even some Spanish nationals,” it said.
There were also assurances from the British territory that tourists turned out to be extreme – the new measures, multiplied by the large number of people crossing the border at the height of the summer tourist season, caused long queues and significant inconvenience for thousands of people who come to Gibraltar, “the vast majority of who are Spaniards.”
Madrid, however, had a different statement. According to him, the accusation is unfair, and all verification procedures remain unchanged. “There have been no changes or modifications to the rules or procedures underlying the verification of documents for entry or exit from Spain,” the Spanish Interior Ministry said.