Laurence Dollimore
THE UK must improve its data on coronavirus before Brits can travel to Spain this summer.
That is the warning laid out by Spanish tourism minister Maria Reyes Maroto, who has revealed that some Germans and Nordics will likely be permitted entry from the end of June.
In an interview with Efe, Maroto said the Balearic and Canary Islands are preparing tourism test-runs for the end of next month and will be opening up so-called ‘travel corridors.’
“The islands have offered to make these corridors and I will also speak with other autonomous communities that have an interest in defining which corridors and with what guarantees,” Maroto said.
She added that the goal is to be able to test the new travel protocols, which will include arriving tourists having their temperatures checked.
In Mallorca at least, they will be tested on arrival and then go to their accommodation and wait for up to six hours for the results.
Maroto said the government is in talks with several countries but that Germany and the Nordic countries were most likely be chosen as ‘right now they are in a very good (epidemiological) situation.’
“It is very important that the first tourists are tourists who are in the same epidemiological situation as us,” she said, ” and that they are also in a position to be able to fly safely.”
On the UK, Maroto said there have been talks between operators TUI and Jet2holidays, bu that ‘the data still has to improve.’
“For us it is important to ensure that the person arrives well and goes home well,” she said.
She added that the British government’s own advice, which advises against travelling abroad, has meant that tour operators in the UK are not keen to operate right now.
She also said: “We are acting in time to recover some of the summer campaign, but we must recover the Spain brand and encourage international tourists to visit us… and that’s going to be a gradual process.”
It comes after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told foreign travellers to begin planning their breaks in Spain from July.
Government sources also hinted that Brits would be permitted to enter from the first of that month.
While the UK still has a month to improve the data, it suggests that if they do not, they could face being barred entry from July 1.
