Spain expecting foreign tourism can rebound to half its pre-pandemic levels this yr, the Government stated on Monday, as a wave of German holidaymakers hit Mallorca’s white-sand beaches after Berlin eased restrictions on returnees. International tourism to Spain plunged 80 % to 19 million visitors last year – the lowest since 1969 – as coronavirus travel restrictions took their toll on the world’s second most visited nation. But many Spaniards are frustrated that foreign tourists can fly to the islands when most individuals in mainland Spain remain stuck at home due to a travel ban. Carlos Abella, Secretary of the tourist sector, has stated “It doesn’t make any sense for a German citizen to be able to travel here from Berlin or a French person from Paris to Madrid when a Madrid resident can’t get to Toledo which is 60km away from here.
It comes as tourism arrivals to Spain plummeted 93.6 % year-on-year in February as visitors stayed away from bars and beaches in what is usually the world’s second most visited nation.
International tourism to Spain plunged 80 % to 19 million visitors last yr – the lowest since 1969 – as coronavirus curbs took their toll.
That pattern continued in the first two months of 2021, data from the National Statistics Institute showed on Tuesday, in further bad news for a country that used to get over a tenth of its gross domestic product from tourism.
Spain received 284,311 foreign tourists in February, 34.6 % lower than in January. International tourism revenues dropped 93.3 percent yr on yr in February, putting much business in jeopardy.
