The increasing number of infections in Spain has led European countries to adjust their travel advice. This is especially true in the regions of Catalonia and Cantabria. There the incidence among people in their twenties rose above 1,000 last Friday.
This means 1,000 young people between the ages of 20 and 29 per 100,000 inhabitants in the aforementioned regions have the corona virus. Within the age group 12 to 19 years, the incidence is 700. Germany issued a colour code red for travel to Catalonia and Cantabria. Belgium asks residents to only travel to Catalonia after full vaccination and to use ‘common sense’ this summer.
Catalonia and Cantabria still on orange for Dutch travellers
The Netherlands has not yet adjusted the travel advice for Catalonia and Cantabria. The colour code orange applies to the entire Spanish mainland; the colour code yellow applies to both island groups. The adjusted colour codes and advice will not have a major impact on tourism for Spain, because travellers in possession of the European covid passport can simply go on holiday.
Travellers who have not yet had this, i.e. not yet fully vaccinated or not recovered from Covid-19, must provide a negative test result of no more than 48 hours of age. Germany also wants returning holidaymakers to show a negative test certificate.
Opened too soon for British tourists?
In any case, it is clear the rapid spread of the coronavirus has not gone unnoticed by other countries. Recently, the United Kingdom also amended the travel rules for Spain, reintroducing mandatory quarantine after returning from this country. Like the Netherlands, France has not adjusted the travel advice so far. French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said the bad situation in Spain is the result of the early opening of borders. Attal iterated it was especially true of travellers from England, where the delta variant was already dominant at the time.
The Spanish government, for its part, hopes the successful vaccination campaign, the “personal responsibility” and the covid passport will limit the negative impact on tourism this summer. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) now classifies the situation in Spain and Portugal as the worst in Europe. Specifically, the regions of Catalonia, Andalucia, Valencia, Aragon, Cantabria, La Rioja and the Canary Islands are now colour coded red.
Nevertheless, it remains important for Spain that Germany, Belgium and France do not change much more in their travel advice. Data from Frontur shows that last May it was tourists from these three countries who chose a holiday in Spain. The Spanish government still assumes 77% of the 2019 German tourist numbers (that is 3.8 million) will also come to Spain this year.
