Fires wipe out consumption: impact on regional GDP and decline in the hospitality industry.

A study by Caixabank Research confirms that the effects of the fires that devastated the peninsula this summer will have a negative impact on some autonomous communities.

This summer's forest fires have had a significant impact on consumption in three of the most affected Spanish provinces: León, Ourense and Zamora, with falls of between 8% and 16% in spending on leisure and hospitality in the weeks of greatest fire incidence.

This impact will be felt in the GDP of Castile and León and Galicia, according to the conclusions of a study carried out by Caixabank on the impact of the fires on consumption in the northwest of the peninsula, analyzed based on in-person payments made with the entity's cards in different weeks of the summer in these provinces and their comparison with others of similar characteristics.

In this sense, the Government of Catalonia expects that the more than 300 municipalities that do not have up-to-date forest fire prevention plans, despite being obliged to do so, will be able to have them next year by taking advantage of the new 2 million euro aid line that the executive has approved.

In addition, it wants to avoid fatalities from fires in forest areas close to urban centers and will allocate 75 million euros, over 5 years, to create fire protection strips in towns and urban areas.

The grants will be granted from 2026 to 2030, according to the general director of Forests and Environmental Management, Jaume Minguell.