President Armengol has once more asked for an earlier start to foreign tourism than July. During Sunday's videoconference with Prime Minister Sánchez and other regional presidents, she referred to the "test flights" of foreign tourists (almost certainly from Germany) that have been proposed for the second half of June. On Saturday, Sánchez announced that foreign tourists would be able to travel to Spain in July.
Armengol called for incentives to attract national and international tourism, e.g. through a lowering of airport taxes, for the foreign traveller quarantine to end when airports and ports are opened, and for ERTEs to be extended beyond June.
She reiterated a request for the Balearic Islands to be considered as a province and therefore allow travel between the islands from Phase 2.
During a briefing following the videoconference, the president confirmed that as from Monday and the start of Phase 2, restaurants and bars will be able to open their interiors with a capacity of 50 per cent.
With beaches opening on Monday, she appealed for common sense. "If we see that we can't keep our distance on one beach, we should go to another."
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Wonder how those demonstrating against tourism feel now, wonder if they have changed their mind and now want us to visit. TBH I don't know if I will be going abroad this year, I feel Spain is rushing this through too early for the sake of income. Better to be alive and stay in the UK than be packed in a plane like sardines and risk my families lives for the sake of a bit sun and pay the local government in tourist tax for the privilege. I mean if the resorts do fill up can you imagine standing outside a bar waiting to be allowed in. I just cant see it being very good this year.
If Armengol thinks it’s important enough for airport taxes to be lessened, then why not the tourist tax? The negative publicity it has generated must also act as a brake on bookings. What a promotional coup to be able to advertise its suspension.
So from total lockdown, fining people and living in a place resembling North Korea, politicians are now falling over each other to get things open and going, getting tourists in a.s.a.p. and what seems like panicing to save face. As the aftermath of the lockdown becomes more and more clear (which anybody with any sense saw coming anyway) and may impact much worse than the whole pandemic. I think and hope politicians now realise how stupid they have been with this whole lockdown. Not so much ordering people to stay at home, but the way they have gone about it. I.e. in other countries where they had intelligent lock downs, the figures are better and certainly not worse, but at least some form of economy still exists. Now they finally realise the viroligists and medical specialists are not the society. We all are.
Want all you like! Not coming this year