Charlie Smith
COSTA del Sol tourism bosses have rejected the 14-day quarantine on British visitors hinted at by the Spanish Government.
The Turismo Costa del Sol association slammed the suggestion by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Government that holidaying Brits could be forced to self-isolate.
The Junta de Andalucia is also opposed to the move, citing the ‘death’ of the region’s tourism, 24.1% of which comes from the UK.
It comes after a tit-for-tat row between the UK and Spain saw the Spanish Government row back on its pledge to scrap the 14-day quarantine in July.
On Monday the Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez appeared to suggest that a quarantine may still be enforced when British tourists are allowed back into Spain from June 21.
Since June 8 a quarantine on international arrivals, including those from Spain, has been in place in the UK.
Francisco Salado, President of Turismo Costa del Sol called for ‘clarity, security and certainty’ from the Government.
He said: “The Government in these months is showing that it does not know how to manage the tourism industry.
“This is not the time to play a game of chess but a time to make it easier for tourists to come to Spain with the appropriate health guarantees.”
The Vice President of the Junta and Tourism Minister, Juan Marin also waded into the quarantine row.
He stressed the significance of the UK as the ‘main international market for Andalucian tourism’ as well as the economic damage a quarantine could wreak.
Instead of self-isolation, he said, COVID-19 tests could be carried out in tourists’ country of origin, before travelling.
Marin said: “When Mr Sanchez and Mr Iglesias [Spain’s deputy leader] rectify things they will be right and they should listen to us more because we make proposals with the intention of solving problems.
“I already said a month and a half ago that international tourism had died with the 14-day quarantine for international travellers.
“There are measures to guarantee with a quick test before travelling that you are in good condition without having to comply with quarantine.”
The Junta politician also said that tests in Spain could ensure that British tourists return home in ‘perfect condition’.
Some three million UK visitors descend on Malaga annually, with their absence this year contributing to a multi-billion euro black hole in the Andalucian economy.
The cancellation of major events like Semana Santa, Sevilla’s Feria de Abril and the Feria de Malaga has made matters worse.
Optimistic estimates put the region’s slump in GDP in 2020 at around 10%, while the worst case scenarios forecast a slide of around 16%.
