"It will be a matter of days before we eliminate a restriction that could be discouraging tourists from outside the European Union from visiting us and we are going to stop requiring a vaccination certificate to allow them to enter with a negative test," she said in an interview on Onda Cero radio.
Maroto stressed that this is "good news" and insisted that it will come into force "in a matter of days", once the government has finalised the order that will include the elimination of the vaccination certificate for non-EU tourists in order to approve it.
"It will be very welcome, by simply presenting a negative test tourists from third countries will be able to enter," said the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade, who reiterated that this is the "good news" that the tourism sector has been waiting for and which will make Spain one of the top destinations for international tourists this year.
"We have to still proceed with caution, but the world considers us as a safe destination, more than 92% of the Spanish population is vaccinated. Tourism is recovering at rates that were difficult to imagine in January, but today it is a reality, tourism is going to be the key for economic growth this year," she stressed.
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Stephen G@stephen G How would the 3 month shengen rule affect a bar in Mallorca? Does it cater to illegal immigrants?
Zoltan I think you will find Stephens friend is a small business VAG is not. The European Union’s vested interests are not small bar owners. Regard the much vaulted energy companies windfall tax. The North Sea extraction industries pay 40% tax as it is. The greedy shareholders are on the main pension companies. So are you suggesting taxing pensioners current and future to placate the economic illiterate. I worked in the oil gas equipment manufacturing sector for the last ten years until I retired. And managed the engineering function to move the business away from total dependence on oil and gas markets to other sectors. The business lost 650 personnel in the process.this tax proposal will exacerbate that process with consequent oil gas output falls due to the 8year well life without re drill. And increase in oil gas price to consumers. Economics 101. That is the affect of populist policies.
Jerry AushermanI'm broadly in agreement with you. At this point in time, if restrictions are going to be lifted, it probably makes sense to get rid of all of them.
Tom RockfieldYou are absolutely correct (cant argue that its a fact that it will tell you yes or no...to some degree of accuracy anyway!), but I think the bigger picture to think about is that it has never worked to stop any spread (in 2 years) - so is it a necessary burden or just a false sense of security?
@David Holland - unlike the Tory government then, whose only concern is making their rich friends and big business richer at the expense of everyone else, hence why there is no windfall tax on the energy companies.
Strange is it not. Stephen That European Union allows seat Volkswagen audi group. To export cars to 3rd nation countries all year. Your pals business is actively restricted by spurious blunt regulations to her technical export. Politics and economics are oil and water . Ecc was trade and economics by concept with political cooperation. The European Union is politically driven. With it peoples wellbeing not Its primary concern.
Andy BunceUnfortunately the article doesn't make that clear. Clarity has never really been the strong point of this bulletin!
Jerry AushermanI'd suggest it's the opposite: a test confirms that you don't have Covid at the point of entry to another country, A Covid (vaccination) passport does no such thing, as we know that being vaccinated doesn't prevent you from either contracting the virus, or transmitting it to others.
A test is useless. A false sense of security and just another obstacle for the tourism industry to get over.
What have 92% of the population been vaccinated for???