Spain has announced a €4.25 billion package to support the country’s tourism industry.
The package includes €2.5 billion of the Spanish government’s loan guarantee programme which had already been ringfenced for tourism businesses.
Additional elements are reported to include a “Safe Tourism” stamp reflecting travel corridors with European Member States, volume discounts on airline taxes, the creation of a “tourism intelligence observatory” and a €38 million promotional budget.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “The good news is that thanks to how the epidemic has evolved, we’ve been able to move forward the re-opening of our borders”
He added: “Spain is reopening itself to tourism. We are a world leader and each step we take will be safe.”
The package also includes a moratorium on mortgage-loan payments for some tourism businesses, Bloomberg reported.
However, a ban on cruise ships has been extended with no end date announced.
The decision reportedly took into account advice from the European Commission, which states that “previous outbreaks of Covid-19 on cruise ships have highlighted the special vulnerability of closed environments during long voyages.”
The ban applies to both the mainland and Spanish islands.
The Spanish government said the restriction was to avoid any risk being posed to the national population.
Despite the positive step for the Spanish industry, which has already begun welcoming foreign travellers, the country remains off-limits to UK travellers with Foreign Office advice still advising against all but essential overseas travel.
There are also concerns about the impact of the UK’s 14-day quarantine rule, with foreign affairs minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya saying earlier this week that reciprocal measures could be imposed on UK tourists.
