MADRID: Officials in Spain have confirmed the country will drop a two-week quarantine requirement for arrivals from July 1st.
[huge_it_slider id=”550″]
The decision comes as the country seeks to reopen its tourism sector ahead of the summer season.
Spain has seen nearly 27,000 coronavirus related deaths, but there has been a sharp drop off in fatalities and new cases in recent days.
In response, foreign minister, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, confirmed entry requirements would be lifted in July.
Rather quixotically, Britain will only begin to quarantine arrivals on June 8th.
This means Brits taking a trip to Spain will be expected to remain indoors for two weeks on their return. Spain locked down on virtually all travel on March 14th.
The country welcomes nearly 80 million international arrivals each year, and tourism accounts for 12 per cent of GDP.
TUI Group chief executive, Fritz Joussen, welcomed the news.
He said: “Now we can plan holidays for Majorca, the Spanish mainland and the Canary Islands and make our customers an offer.
“Millions of holidaymakers have the certainty that summer holidays in Spain are possible during school holidays.
“This is a good signal for many families, but also for TUI as a tour operator and the travel agencies that advise customers on their holiday decisions.
“After Greece, Cyprus, Croatia and Bulgaria, Spain has now also provided clarity for the start of the holiday season.”
He added: “We have been preparing intensively for weeks, have developed higher safety and hygiene standards for TUI and our partners and are already training the staff in the hotels.
“In times of corona, we want to make holidays as normal as possible and as responsible as necessary, during the flight, in the hotel and at the holiday destination.”
Ryanair echoed support for the move, confirming it plans to operate 40 per cent of its normal July flight schedule
Eddie Wilson, Chief Executive of the low-cost carrier, said: “After four months of lockdown, we welcome these moves by governments in Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus to open their borders, remove travel restrictions and scrap ineffective quarantines.
“Irish and British families, who have been subject to lockdown for the last ten weeks, can now look forward to booking their much-needed family holiday.”
The Spanish plans mirror earlier announcements from Italy, Cyprus, Greece and Portugal to reopen their hotels and beaches for the summer season.
Ryanair will be offering up to 1,000 daily flights from July.
