HOLIDAYMAKERS on Spain’s Costa Blanca are developing breathing problems, figures reveal.
Brits in other tourist destinations — including Greece and Italy — are also wheezing because poor air quality triggers allergies and asthma, a study found.
It hits them in the pocket too because sufferers fork out almost £1billion a year on treatments at overseas pharmacies.
A survey of 2,000 UK adults found three in five suffer from breathing problems while abroad — spending an average of £37 each on treatment.
Expert Prof Frank Kelly said those with breathing issues should avoid the worst places.
But only 13 per cent check air quality figures when planning a trip, the survey by Avanti Travel Insurance found.
Professor Kelly, of Imperial College London, said: “Tourists can come up against airborne particles and noxious gases associated with ill health — even after short-term exposures.
“This is especially the case for vulnerable groups such as the young, the elderly and people with cardio-respiratory disease.”
Avanti’s Kelly Johnstone said: “It’s worth knowing which destinations might not be ideal.”