Senior Spanish tourism figures have renewed calls for the EU’s 90-day rule to be scrapped for British visitors.

The leaders told Spanish media that the restriction is damaging the country’s tourism industry.

Former tourism secretaries Fernando Valdes and Hector Gomez said easing the post-Brexit limit would benefit long-stay tourists and British second-home owners across Spain and the wider continent.

Valdes stressed that the rule is imposed at EU level rather than by Spain itself.

‘This is not something Spain established on its own, nor can it remove it independently,’ he said.

‘It is true that since Brexit problems have emerged for people who want to stay longer periods in Spain.’

He added that Madrid should continue lobbying Brussels to seek an exception for British travellers.

‘It is in our interest to convince the EU that some kind of exception could be explored, but ultimately the solution has to come from Europe,’ he said.

Spain has repeatedly pushed for British nationals to be allowed to remain in the country for up to six months at a time.

However, the current Schengen rules still only permit UK passport holders to spend 90 days within any rolling 180-day period in the bloc without a visa.

Britons wanting to remain longer must apply for residency or a long-stay visa.

Before Brexit, UK citizens were able to travel freely within the European Union and stay indefinitely in member states including Spain, France and Italy.

Since Britain left the EU, UK nationals visiting the Schengen area have become subject to the same 90-in-180-day restriction applied to non-EU visitors.