In the framework of the International Tourism Fair (FITUR), Pedro Sánchez, President of Spain, announced the intention to allow the entry of vaccinated foreigners since June 7. In addition, citizens and / or residents of ten countries will be able to freely enter their territory from this May 24.
Spain is the second country with the largest tourist movement in the world, and prior to the pandemic it had the entry of more than 80 million international travelers, mostly from Latin America, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and the United States.
Sánchez’s announcement will alleviate the impact on tour operators, hotels and airlines for this summer season. In turn, it will provide a vision for other countries in the world that seek to advance the enablement of tourism in general.
On the one hand, Spain will allow entry to all citizens and / or residents who are on the «Green List» of epidemiology. As published in the Official State Gazette (BOE for its initials in Spanish) this Friday, May 21, that list includes Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom and China.
The entrance of the United Kingdom is a very important fact, given that it is the main source of tourists in the region. However, the British will have to comply with a PCR test and mandatory quarantine upon their return, since for their government Spain still represents a medium epidemiological risk. During these last months, the Balearic Islands have allowed the entry of tourists with resounding success and a low level of spread of infections, which led several companies to bet on this destination for the boreal summer season.
On the other hand, the President of Spain is working so that as of June 7, foreigners from other countries can enter, but only those who have completed the immunization according to the vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) or by the Agency European Medicines (EMA). This was published on the official site of Moncloa.
Of the 16 vaccines that are administered globally, they stated that initially they will only allow entry to those immunized with the complete plan of the vaccines BioNTech / Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV and Sinopharm, opening the possibility that Americans, French or Germans can enter the country in the summer.
As stated by Sánchez at FITUR, an influx of tourists of 30% or 40% is expected compared to pre-pandemic summers.
Finally, the president presented the Health Passport carried out by the European Commission and it will be a reality from July 1, with the aim of facilitating travel throughout the European territory for those who are already vaccinated, immunized for having already passed the COVID -19 or have a negative PCR or antigen test.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism of Spain, Reyes Maroto, has declared that it is being studied to extend this certificate to third countries, which could allow the flow of travelers to be recovered from and to other territories, such as Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Health Passport, called Digital Green Certificate and which will be free, consists of a QR code that will be issued by the health service of each European country. This code will offer access to the health information of the person showing if they have been vaccinated, what vaccine was injected, will record the Covid detection tests and if the user has already passed the disease. The QR can be obtained on paper and also with a mobile application.
Currently, 16.4% of the Spanish population has a complete vaccination plan and 34.2% has a dose, making it the 37th country with the best vaccination rate globally.
