Foreign tourists will be able to return to Spain from July, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Saturday.
Since Spain implemented the lockdown to reduce the further spread of the new coronavirus (Covid-19) in mid-March, tourists were not allowed to enter the country.
"The moment has come. We intend to guarantee the reactivation of national tourism this season," said Sánchez during a press conference. "I am announcing that from July, the entry of foreign tourists into Spain will resume under safe conditions," he added.
Sánchez highlighted the "fundamental weight" of the hospitality and tourism sector in the Spanish economy, as well as its "enormous international prestige."
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All tourist establishments, bars and restaurants, beach and inland destinations were asked to prepare, "as of today, to resume their activity in a few days," Sánchez said.
Additionally, he encouraged Spanish people to holiday in their own country, and to enjoy "the formidable destinations that our geography offers," reports El País.
His announcement follows news that the Spanish hospitality sector, which generates more than 12% of the country's GDP, is expected to lose at least 900,000 jobs due to the pandemic.
On Saturday, Spain recorded a total of almost 235,000 people with a confirmed coronavirus infection since the beginning of the pandemic, of which over 28,000 died, according to figures by the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
