MADRID — Faced with a possible flood of tourists from Germany later this month, authorities in Spain’s Balearic Islands are warning hotel owners that tourists should adhere to coronavirus restrictions the same manner residents do.
Like the rest of Spain, the archipelago within the Mediterranean Sea is strengthening measures to fight the virus before the Easter period beginning April 1. They include further limiting social interactions to individuals living under the same roof and shutting bars and restaurants at 5 p.m.
But the restrictions haven’t stopped keen German tourists who have rushed to book flights and accommodation this week following their government’s removal of the Balearic Islands and other holiday destinations from a list of high-risk areas.
Travelers will no longer need to quarantine on their return to Germany, though they will need a negative coronavirus test before departing. The German government still discourages all nonessential travel.
Given that all nonessential domestic travel across most Spanish regions is banned, the existing measures mean that flying from most of Europe for a weekend in Madrid or a beach holiday on the island of Ibiza, for example, is often easier than for many Spaniards to visit relatives in other areas or spend the time in their second homes.
Balearic regional government spokesman Iago Negueruela stated Tuesday that both the existing measures and new ones kicking off on March 26 must be carried out “by everybody, no matter where they come from.”
Negueruela, who is also the islands’ tourism minister, stated that authorities will be on high alert monitoring for possible rulebreakers, private news agency Europa Press reported.
Budget airline Eurowings is offering hundreds of extra flights to Mallorca, the biggest of the archipelago’s 5 main islands, before the Easter period, and travel operator TUI stated it’s opening hotels on the island.
Whereas the number of new weekly COVID-19 cases on the Balearic Islands has fallen below the “risk area” threshold of 50 per 100,000 inhabitants, much of Germany stays above that level and rising.
However, the downward trend has recently proven signs of stalling, worrying Spanish health officials that a new spike in cases could be around the corner.
Tourism accounted for 12% of Spain’s gross domestic product before the pandemic and nearly a 3rd of the Balearic Islands’ output. However, amid a global freeze on travel, foreign arrivals fell 80% to 19 million last yr, to levels not seen in more than a half-century.
Negueruela stated that being severe about the guidelines now can be the one option to fully and safely reinvigorate the islands’ crucial industry during the high season beginning in June.
“Now is the moment to slowly de-escalate, with prudence, in order to be ready for the summer season,” he stated.
