When Will Spanish Tourism Recover?

For Spaniards, if you can’t have a summer holiday abroad, where would you go? The leading destinations, according to a survey by the tourism-oriented Hosteltur, are Andalucía, the Balearics and the Comunidad Valenciana. Of course, many city-folk have roots in their pueblo, somewhere they or their forebears left for the opportunities of the smoke, and they will likely return there, maybe staying in some discomfort in the abuelo’s house. At least, it should be safe enough in these difficult times, ¿no?

Hotels, campsites, hostales rurales, Airbnb (that was a bust!), their holiday home (‘la segunda vivienda’), but not cruises or foreign adventures this year: it’ll be too dangerous, too restrictive and probably too expensive. 

The domestic holiday destinations should be fully open by July, says the tourist Minister Reyes Maroto. La Vanguardia looks at the carefree holidays for Spaniards this season: masks, disinfection, limits on numbers and proximity, and no more breakfast buffets it says.
A second piece here in Hosteltur says that Spanish domestic tourism will be the only player on the playa this year (you're welcome) but that even this market will be smaller than it was in 2019.

For foreign visitors, of course the problem is reversed. The frontier rather than keeping Spaniards in, will be keeping foreigners out.

Schengen Visa Info quotes the EU government as being ‘in doubt’. As far as Spain is concerned, the article says ‘…“We need to carefully look at what has happened to those countries where the Coronavirus struck early on in Asia. They reopened their borders, and then the Covid-19 cases started to rise again,”…’. One (rather grim) option on the table sees the ‘EU mull ‘Covid-19 passports’ to restore the tourist industry’.

Currently, Spain, just as France, is prioritizing domestic tourism.

The question is the timing – when will foreign tourism be allowed back to Spain? Most pundits are saying not until October – a truly disastrous forecast for this summer season’s business.  An expert from the WTO reckons on 800 million less tourists in 2020, a fall of 80% in world tourism. A prognosis like this can only be guesswork – once again, will the frontiers be opened soon?

The serious media are in no doubt. El Economista says that ‘the borders will remain closed until October’ and that ‘a summer is expected without foreign tourism’. The ABC agrees, while saying that the schedule is ‘indicative’ (and probably changeable if the PP and Vox get their way). The Guardian warns that ‘Covid-19 throws Europe's tourism industry into chaos’, but says that some regions of Spain are pushing hard to reopen for business as usual ‘…Officials are cautiously hoping that international tourists could be allowed to visit Mallorca and Ibiza from late July…’. In Andalucía too, they are hoping to get going again, at least with domestic tourism, as the weather warms up and the cases of Covid-19 go down.

The other worry is that, even with the system back in place, will people still want to get in an aeroplane, or a foreign hotel dining room? With the new rules for bars and restaurants (however they end up being made), will visitors still be looking forward to a crowded locale with cold beers and the football game on the telly at some Costa del Sol joint? What about the rules for the beach or the museum? Will there be fines? Can they still do ‘balconing’ or fall about drunk in Magaluf like they used to?

Foreign visitors may be welcome in a restaurant, but will they be welcome on the street?

It may be time to recast the whole business of tourism.

El Economista again, quoting a leading Wall Street financier on Spanish tourism: “Spain should not try to keep a sector alive if it is known that it will not survive in the next decade”.

As always, there's much more news from the Spanish media on tourism, housing, business, politics, seniors, Catalonia, the coronavirus and other useful topics in this week's Business over Tapas. Facebook for free, or why not subscribe for the full package?