Everything will be much better this summer, local tourism officials have assured Spanish tourism. Forecast expectations are two thirds of the tourist flow of the “tentative” 2019, when Spain, which is in the top 3 in terms of tourist attendance, broke all records. So there is even a chance that Spain will open for Ukrainian tourists, albeit under certain conditions. Especially since the Spanish regions have already begun to reduce restrictions – read here. Moreover, the WHO has called for lifting restrictions on tourism around the world – read this link.
“Expectations for 2022 are good. What we all have accumulated is a great desire to travel, “said Tourism Minister Fernando Valdez on the sidelines of the FITUR Tourism Congress in Madrid, according to US News.
He reminded that Spain was the second most visited country in the world in 2019: then, according to official data, the country was visited by a record 80 million tourists. In 2021, the flow of tourists reached only a third of this number in 2021, as blockages and restrictions on travel, including from Ukraine, prevented a significant recovery. However, this figure is already 55% higher than in 2020.
“Increased vaccination rates and fewer travel restrictions have accelerated international travel to Spain in the last quarter of 2021 to 64% of pre-pandemic levels, although the rapid spread of Omicron has slowed recovery again,” he added.
His forecast is optimistic: “It will be much better this summer,” the minister said. According to him, the first milestone can be considered Easter week. “It will give us an idea of what the rest of the year will be like,” Valdes said.
Note that this year the Catholic Easter will fall on April 17. The minister also noted that large Spanish hotel chains such as Melia have noted that the number of bookings is growing. These are mostly tourists from European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and France.