Kirsty Mckenzie
ANDALUCIA could see as many as 9million tourists this summer if the country’s vaccine rollout is successful.
The president of the Junta Juanma Moreno Bonilla said Andalucia aimed to have 75% of those over 16 years of age vaccinated by June 30, adding that almost all Andalusians over the age of forty will have at least one dose by the beginning of July.
If all goes to plan, Moreno said Andalucia will be ‘one of the safest destinations in Europe’ and could see as many as 9million visitors rush to the south of Spain.
Prior to the pandemic, Andalucia had just celebrated its best-ever year for tourism. in 2019 Andalucia welcomed 32.5 million tourists. The coronavirus crisis caused visits to Andalucia to fall to 13 million in 2020 – a decrease of close to 60 percent, amounting to a loss of €14billion.
It comes as tourism bosses, the regional administration and the eight provincial tourism boards met in Madrid yesterday to discuss how Spain plans to reopen its borders to those with vaccination passports.
“We trust that the United Kingdom will open its traffic light as soon as possible and give the green light to Spanish and Andalusian destinations. This is key to our recovery,” said the Chairman of the Board.
Carlos III Health Institute is running trials by giving Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine to patients who already received an AstraZeneca shot in order to determine effects and efficacy.
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