Spain is planning to welcome tourists – including Britons – back in ‘late June’, a government minister said today after Italy announced that its borders would re-open on June 3.
Transport minister Jose Luis Abalos said the current two-week quarantine for foreign visitors would be phased out when travel restrictions are lifted within Spain.
‘From late June, we’ll start the tourism activity, I hope,’ he told Spanish media. ‘We must make Spain an attractive country from the health point of view.’
Italy will allow EU nationals to enter the country without going into quarantine from June 3 in a similar effort to rescue its tourism industry.
Prime minister Giuseppe Conte admitted that the move was a ‘risk’ but said ‘we have to accept it because otherwise we will never get started again’.
Tourism accounts for more than 10 per cent of both countries’ GDP but the coronavirus crisis has thrown the industry into chaos.
Two women wearing masks sit at an outdoor restaurant in Spain today, as the country aims to resume its tourist industry in late June
Two masked gondoliers operate their boat near the San Toma embankment in Venice today, as the city’s signature boats resume service following the lockdown
Madrid last week surprised its EU partners by imposing a two-week quarantine on all overseas travellers and effectively keeping its borders closed.
The Spanish government said the measure was needed to avoid importing a second wave of Covid-19.
But the move was meant to be temporary and transport minister Abalos said it would be phased out in parallel with travel being allowed within Spain.
‘As soon as we Spaniards can travel to other provinces, foreigners will be able to come to Spain,’ he told TVE broadcaster.
Spain yesterday saw its daily death toll fall below 100 for the first time since March 16, with 87 new fatalities announced on Sunday.
The daily number of new infections has not been above 1,000 since May 8, except for one anomalous day which was blamed on a backlog in recording cases.
Tourism accounts for over 12 per cent of Spain’s economic output and the country is normally one of the most visited in the world.
But the epidemic and economic standstill have battered the economy, which could shrink as much as 12.4 per cent this year, according to the Bank of Spain.
Customers sit at outdoor tables at La Malvarrosa beach in Valencia today, as cafes and restaurants re-open in much of Spain
People cycle along a street in Milan yesterday as life starts to return to normal in Italy – with borders set to be re-opened on June 3
Italy yesterday recorded its fewest daily deaths (145) since March 9 and its fewest new infections (675) since March 4 in the latest sign that the crisis is easing.
Shops, bars and restaurants are re-opening today along with churches such as St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, and people no longer need to provide a reason for travel within their own region.
‘People will be able to go wherever they want – to a shop, to the mountains, to a lake or the seaside,’ Conte announced at the weekend.
Longer-distance travel will remain restricted until after a national holiday on June 2, in order to stop a spike in infections over the long weekend.
But from June 3, all travel curbs will be lifted and EU travellers will be able to enter Italy without going into quarantine.
‘We hope to work with the neighbouring countries, those who can travel by car,’ said Gianni Serandrei, the owner of a hotel near St Mark’s Square in Venice.
Stricter measures could be re-introduced on a regional basis if there is a surge in new cases, Italy’s health ministry said.
Some €100billion (£89billion) in tourism revenue could be lost as holidaymakers stay away this summer, according to think-tank Nomisma.
The think-tank says that around 500,000 summer jobs could be at risk this year due to the fallout from the virus.
Two women wearing masks walk through a shopping gallery in Milan yesterday which has often been completely deserted in recent weeks
People gather in Virgiliano Park in Naples yesterday, as Italy takes a major step out of lockdown by re-opening shops and restaurants today
Italy’s national hotel federation said that by April the sector had already shed 106,000 jobs.
The country’s national tourism agency Enit said it would take three years for the industry to recover to 2019 levels.
The tourism industry is also facing higher costs because buildings will have to be sanitised and beaches supervised to stop people getting too close.
Possible health measures include apps and booking systems to limit the number of people visiting a beach at any one time.
Italy’s European neighbours are also urging caution about tourism, with Britons still advised against any non-essential travel.
Germany, which is a four-hour drive from Italy, is instructing citizens not to travel abroad for tourism until at least June 15.
Italy is also hoping to encourage domestic tourism, offering vouchers to lower-income families to spend in Italian hotels and campsites.
The wider Italian economy is facing a severe recession and public debt is expected to spiral to more than 150 per cent of its annual economic output.
Cyclists and pedestrians on a piazza in Rome yesterday, with Italy hoping to revive its tourism sector by re-opening borders in June
Italy yesterday announced only 675 new cases of coronavirus, the lowest daily figure since March 4 – six days before the lockdown began.
The total number of infections rose from 224,760 to 225,435, while the number of people currently sick has fallen below 70,000.
The daily death toll was 145, the lowest since March 9, bringing the total from 31,763 to 31,908.
Only 762 people are currently in intensive care, a figure which was higher than 4,000 at the height of the crisis.
Large public gatherings are still banned, but churches and other places of worship can now re-open along with museums and galleries.
St Peter’s Basilica was among the churches which re-opened today, although Pope Francis is not expected to greet worshippers inside or in St Peter’s Square.
‘I share the joy of those communities who can finally reunite as liturgical assemblies, a sign of hope for all society,’ Francis said during a live-streamed prayer.
Visitors wearing face masks had their temperatures taken before entering the basilica, which has been closed since March 10.
Gyms, swimming pools and sports centres will reopen on May 25, while theatres and cinemas can reopen from June 15.
People with virus symptoms will have to remain in isolation and social distancing rules will continue to apply, and people are still advised to wear masks inside or on crowded streets.