Spain's government maintaining 40 million tourist forecast

Reyes Maroto, speaking on Monday. | Efe (Chema Moya)

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterMadrid12/07/2021 14:10

Spain's tourism minister, Reyes Maroto, said on Monday that there was no need to raise an alarm about the health situation in Spain. She stated the government is maintaining its forecast of 40 million tourists in 2021, just under half the total in 2019.

Maroto stressed that this summer "is very different" to 2020. This is thanks to the vaccination, which is "the best certainty and the best economic policy" for tourism recovery.

Because of the vaccination, the minister said, it is necessary to look at the coronavirus data "from another perspective". Cumulative incidence is rising, but hospital pressure is not. Emphasising that caution is still needed, she nevertheless believed that vaccination provides "elements of security for leaving the pandemic behind". She noted that 21 million people in Spain have been vaccinated twice and that 58% of the population has been vaccinated once.

Maroto welcomed the introduction of the EU's Digital COVID Certificate, adding that there is a different context this summer - there are travel recommendations but no quarantines. She described as "good news" the UK's decision regarding travel for people who have been vaccinated twice.