Tag: spain tourism

The pandemic has dealt a huge blow to tourism-dependent countries like Spain and cities such as Barcelona, one of Europe’s most popular. But now they are seeking to lure visitors back and are also debating the need to change their economic models to tackle a longstanding overcrowding problem, says Reuters. “There’s a total change of strategy,” said Marian Muro, director of Turisme de Barcelona, a public-private consortium, explaining the shift away from general promotion of the city. “Quality is more important than quantity” and a greater respect from visitors to Barcelona’s residents are among the factors behind the city’s more ... Read more

Spain is safe for tourists and Spaniards, the government insisted on Sunday after Britain abruptly imposed a two-week coronavirus quarantine on travellers returning from there, says a Reuters report. Last year, Britons made up over a fifth of foreign visitors to Spain, which relies heavily on tourism revenues, meaning the UK move could deal a hard blow to efforts to restart the Mediterranean country’s economy after months of lockdown. “Spain is safe, it is safe for Spaniards, it is safe for tourists,” Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told reporters. The Spanish government will focus its efforts on trying to persuade ... Read more

Spain’s tourism industry has been in a difficult situation ever since the coronavirus crisis began, which led to a near global lockdown and travel restrictions. While travel is now permitted within the European Union and Schengen Area, it remains heavily restricted for citizens of countries outside the EU. The so-called “Golden Mile” between Puerto Banús and Marbella, on Spain’s Costa del Sol, has been left without its typical visitors this summer: tourists from the Middle East and Russia. The image of the Spanish port filled with yachts and glamorous foreigners is distinctly missing, El Pais has reported. Tourists from these countries ... Read more

Neighbours Spain and Portugal reopened their border on Wednesday to all travellers after a three-month closure to prevent the spread of coronavirus, bringing relief to local business owners who have struggled to make ends meet without tourism. “It has been miserable since we reopened in May. There are no customers,” Jose Valentim, a restaurant owner in the Portuguese border town of Elvas, told Reuters. “We hope that from today onwards some Spaniards will be able to come.” For Luis Pinheiro, a 53-year old construction supervisor who commutes across the border every day from the Spanish city of Badajoz to his ... Read more

People travelling from outside of the EU and the Schengen area will be able to visit Spain from June 30. Transcontinental non-essential travel to Spain from outside of Europe has been given the green light by the Spanish government, following the EU’s recommendation for member states to gradually reopen their borders from June 15 onwards. Tourists from the USA and Canada, Latin America, Africa, Oceania and Asia will in theory be able to book their holidays to Spain from that day, although the announcement published in Spain’s daily government bulletin states that restrictions on holidaymakers from outside of the EU and Schengen ... Read more

Hundreds of Germans landed on the Spanish island of Mallorca on Monday, the first tourists allowed into the country since borders were shut in March to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1,500 German holidaymakers are expected in the Balearic Islands as part of a pilot project that will open up a sector that accounts for 12% of Spain’s economy, before restrictions are eased next week. According to a Reuters report, visitors’ temperatures were taken at the airport and regional leader Francina Armengol said they must follow health and safety rules. “This virus is still infecting, still killing people all ... Read more

Spain will reopen its borders with Schengen zone countries on June 21, except for its border with Portugal. Earlier, the plan was to open its borders on July 1. The decision was announced on Sunday by Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez, at the weekly video conference with regional presidents, that have been regularly held since the coronavirus outbreak. The Spain-Portugal border will only be opened on July 1. The EU Commission has recommended a lifting of internal border controls in the Schengen area from June 15. As cases and deaths have decreased, Spain has been slowly removing the strict measures ... Read more

Starting June 15, Spain will fly German tourists to the Balearic Islands as part of a pilot program to revive tourism. About 6,000 Germans are likely to join in. Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca and Formentera form the beautiful Balearic Islands. Germany has been chosen the first partner for the pilot program by Spain due to its similar condition regarding the Coronavirus crisis. A few tour operators have been given the permit to fly these German tourists, who won’t be under an obligation to follow the two-week quarantine rule levied on all foreign visitors in Spain. Among them, 4000 tourists will visit ... Read more

With lockdowns beginning to ease, many countries are starting to think about how to restart tourism, a vital economic engine. Even so, international tourist numbers could fall by up to 80% in 2020, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). But, in a normal pre-coronavirus year, which were the most visited destinations? France is the world’s number one destination for international tourists, according to the most recent figures from UNWTO. Almost 90 million people visited the country in 2018. Spain isn’t far behind, with over 82 million visitors. The United States, China and Italy complete the top five. ... Read more

Spain usually welcomes more than 80 million visitors each year, making it one of the most visited countries in the world. But it has been hard hit by the coronavirus crisis and wants to be cautious as it opens to visitors from July 1, Gonzalez Laya told Reuters. “In this very atypical year of 2020, we will not be able to behave as usual,” she said. “It’s health. It’s making sure that we do not import cases as we are trying to control the cases we have in the country. It’s very prudent management on our side to make sure ... Read more

Spain will reopen to overseas tourists from July, the country’s prime minister has announced, pledging that the government will guarantee the safety of visitors and locals as the country emerges from one of Europe’s strictest coronavirus lockdowns. Prime minister Pedro Sanchez said a €3bn (£2.7bn) minimum basic income scheme to help families, most affected by the pandemic, would come into effect in the next few weeks. Sánchez said: “As you know, Spain receives more than 80 million visitors a year. I am announcing that from July, Spain will reopen for foreign tourism in conditions of safety. Foreign tourists can start ... Read more

Barcelo Resorts (Photo Courtesy: Bookings.com) Spanish hotels are cutting prices on summer holiday packages as tourists return to destinations like Turkey and resorts in North Africa, while visitor numbers to Spain continue to be increasing for the past four years. Tourism is one of major revenue earner of Spain, accounting for around 11 per cent of Spain’s total revenue. Last year around 82 million tourists visited Spain, making it the world’s second most visited country after France. Spain’s hotels have exploited the country’s popularity as a sought after tourist destination and increased prices on average by 21.4 per cent over ... Read more