Spain will drop its two-week quarantine period for foreign arrivals from July 1, the country’s government has confirmed.
The measure was finalised at a cabinet meeting on Monday, May 25, BBC News reported.
Spanish foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya had previously said the requirement would be lifted in July, without giving an exact date.
More: Tui boss: July return of Spanish tourism is ‘good signal’
Prime minister Pedro Sanchez has pledged visitors and the sector’s workforce will be kept safe.
Tui’s chief executive has said Spain’s target of a July return for tourists is a ‘good signal’ for the summer.
Spain’s lockdown was implemented on March 14 and was one of the most stringent in Europe.
The UK government is due to introduce its own 14-day quarantine on arrivals into the UK policy from June 8, including British nationals returning from holiday.
Spain is the number one outbound tourism destination for UK travellers, and tourism accounts for 12% of Spain’s GDP.
Spaniards are to be allowed to travel domestically from June 22 to areas of the country which have completed ‘phase 3’ of a coronavirus de-escalation plan.
Sanchez announced that international tourism can resume once more from July and tourists can start planning their holidays to Spain.
Spain attracts more than 80 million tourists a year.
The prime minister emphasised that safety is paramount for tourism and the Spanish government will guarantee that tourists will not be exposed to any risks “and at the same time, will not bring any risk into the county”.
The government worked with the tourism sector to prepare measures for the reopening of tourism as part of the planning for Spain’s phased reopening initiative known as the ‘Plan de Desescalada’.
Spanish tourism will have two new hallmarks going forward – health and safety and environmental sustainability, according to Sanchez.
More: Tui boss: July return of Spanish tourism is ‘good signal’
