The alliance of leading businesses in the tourism industry is not anticipating "moderately normalised activity" until the second half of 2022. Estimates for 2021 suggest that tourism activity will be 96,369 million euros, double that of 2020 but well down on 154,487 million euros in 2019.
Exceltur observes that the tourism industry continues to face an uncertain immediate future, not aided by "new institutional support measures", which are "neither specific nor significant for ensuring the continuity of viable tourism businesses". On Wednesday, the vice-president of Exceltur, José Luis Zoreda, described these measures as "lukewarm". They contrast with the "response and notable aid from large European countries with a lesser weight of tourism in their economies than ours".
On employment, the latest Exceltur report indicates that 728,000 tourism jobs were affected last year - 435,000 people were placed on ERTE terms and 293,000 lost their jobs. By the end of 2021, the estimate is that 64% of all employment affected by the pandemic will be from tourism. The entire value chain has been disrupted - travel agencies, airlines, hotels, car rental ...; they have all been hit.
Holiday destinations in the Balearics, on the mainland Mediterranean coast and in the Canaries suffered decreases in sales of over 70%. Asturias and Cantabria were two regions which "held out the longest" because of national tourism.
Exceltur says that 2021 is beginning with various uncertainties regarding the speed of vaccination, the implementation of standardised international regulations for travel and the opening of borders, and the financial capacity to be able to travel. The year begins with 86% of tourism demand for Spain blocked by travel restrictions. The association is forecasting a 79% fall in first-quarter sales.
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If mandatory testing is still in place by this summer then I can't see many people wanting to travel abroad. Who in their right mind would pay hundreds if not thousands of pounds for a holiday when there's a high chance you or someone in your party could test positive a day or two before your due to leave and have your whole holiday wrecked. If that happened would your holiday company refund you ? I seriously doubt it. What happens if you test positive before your due to travel home ? Stranded abroad and in many cases with little money left. The governments need to get this sorted out straight away. Whether it's by ensuring holiday companies will offer refunds or just come straight out and tell us their will be no international travel this year.