By Alex Trelinski • Published: 16 Apr 2020 • 14:04
SPAIN relies massively on tourism as it accounts for 15 per cent of the economy, and that’s why the country’s politicians are desperate to get the sector going again.
With hopes that Spain’s lockdown rules may be relaxed in May, it is a reasonable bet that some changes may be aimed at eventually getting UK and international tourists flowing back in again.
After France, Spain has the biggest number of tourist visitors in the world, and Tourism Minister, Reyes Marato, has said that the industry to vital to the future of the country.
She even talked about introducing social distancing measures on beaches when they are reopened.
Marato admitted that the first aim was to get domestic tourism going again, before opening up the doors to international visitors, where UK tourists heavily lead the pack.
“Everything depends on how the pandemic plays out,” Marato added.
“That will decide the timing of when we can welcome everybody back in, and everybody visiting Spain would have to be virus-free.”
The encouraging news is that the rate of rise in new Covid-19 cases is falling, which gives hope that Spain could be back in the tourist game in the not too-distant future.
Spain’s service industries like bars, restaurants and hotels are desperate to open again, and they need tourists to use them, which the government will be well aware of.
Another light at the end of the tunnel is the news that easyJet are talking of not using the middle seats of their three-in-a-row seating on their planes.
That’s in order to provide some social distancing and to encourage passengers to fly to and from Spain, when their services resume.
It’s another indication that the travel industry wants the Spanish market very much back in business, when it is safe to do so.
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