A foreign tourist has been arrested by Spain's National Police on suspicion of fraud after allegedly leaving an 11-night all-inclusive hotel stay unpaid in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Gran Canaria. The bill amounted to 2,483 euros (£2,125), according to a police press release.
The woman, who has not been named, was intercepted at Gran Canaria Airport as she attempted to board a flight out of the country. Video footage from the National Police shows the arrest. After being taken to the Maspalomas police station, she was placed at the disposal of the judicial authorities.
How the Unpaid Bill Occurred
The family of two adults and one child had booked their stay through the resort's website, providing a credit card number as a security deposit. However, when hotel staff tried to process the payment at the end of the 11-night stay, the transaction was declined. Despite multiple attempts to contact the customers, no payment was received, prompting the hotel to report the incident to police.
Police and Industry Response
The National Police emphasized their commitment to protecting the Canary Islands' tourism sector, stating that any attempt to avoid payment for goods or services will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The arrest comes amid growing concerns over "dine and dash" offences in the UK and abroad.
In the UK, a 2018 survey found that one in 20 people had walked out without paying for a meal. Donna Jones, the Conservative police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, told The Daily Mail that there has been a dramatic increase in such offences in recent years. She dismissed the cost-of-living crisis as a cause, saying, "They're driving away in their own cars," and urged businesses to "share images online ... and to name and shame those individuals."
Impact on Hospitality Businesses
Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality, told the Guardian that while only a minority of customers behave this way, incidents of avoiding payment can be "a serious matter" for bars and restaurants. "These businesses operate on very tight net-profit margins – less than 4% – and often it can be quite big-spend items that people are going for," she explained. She added that referring to such offences as "dine and dash" trivializes the problem: "Let's call it what it is. This is theft and fraud and it should be prosecuted as such. It's not a victimless crime. It is money that is being taken from a business for goods and services consumed – it's exactly the same as shoplifting."
