Laurence Crumbie
SPANISH tourism minister, Maria Reyes Maroto, announced on Tuesday that Spain plans to reopen tourism when 30-40% of the nation has been immunised against COVID-19.
Maroto told local broadcaster Canal Sur that she believes this could be achieved by late spring and described herself as ‘optimistic’ about summer tourism.
“In April, we’ll receive 5 million doses from Pfizer alone. Add that to the doses of Moderna, AstraZeneca and Jansen, which is just one dose and should be approved in the next few days,” she said.
So far, 1.4 million people – or 3% – have been fully vaccinated in Spain and 4.8 million doses have been administered.
Infection rates have also been falling steadily across much of the country, including in tourist hotspots such as the Costa del Sol.
Spanish authorities had earlier insisted that 70% of the population would need to be vaccinated before tourism could be fully opened up, a benchmark that isn’t expected to be met until the end of the summer and represented a huge blow to the tourism industry.
READ ALSO:
- Spain’s Finance Minister in COVID-19 ‘third wave’ warning and announces official extension of UK travel ban until March 30
- EXPLAINER: How Spain’s “green corridor” plan for vaccinated Brits could save summer tourism
