The Spanish government spokesperson, María Jesús Montero, said on Tuesday that there are "high hopes" that the opening of European Union internal borders will bring "dynamism" to tourism, the sector having been one to have suffered most damage from lockdowns.
She described tourism as a key area for wealth and employment and "our best ambassador, our best letter of introduction". The goal is to make visitors feel at home and wish to return to Spain and repeat their experiences. Recovery of the tourism industry will go hand in hand with quality, and the safety mark (for Covid) is "the best guarantee of the future of the sector".
The government will be presenting its tourism plan on Thursday, and this includes measures which have already been initiated, such as the air corridor between Spain and Germany. A total of 47 flights are currently scheduled until the end of June. At the press conference following Tuesday's cabinet meeting, the tourism minister, Reyes Maroto, highlighted the importance of this corridor - "the only one to have been launched in all of the EU countries and very good from a safety point of view".
The pilot project, Maroto added, "will allow us to test the protocols and guidelines drawn up by the ICTE Spanish Institute for Tourism Quality". Spain is at the forefront in developing these tourist corridors, which will be tested for effectiveness once the pilot plan has been completed.
On procedures for passengers arriving in Spain, Maroto said that these have been strengthened and that they fully comply with EU recommendations. "We have reinforced airport procedures with temperature controls, questionnaires and random follow-ups of all tourists entering Spain."
Maroto explained that in seven days it will be possible to check whether the procedures and controls are adequate. "If so, we will be recommending them for the whole of Spain. If it is the case that we have to reinforce them with some other measure, this will be decided by the inter-ministerial group which is addressing this issue."
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