If you’re planning on heading to Spain, make sure you’re up to date on the latest Coronavirus travel restrictions.
Old Town, Calpe, Spain
Spain has always been a top destination for tourists, pulling them in by the millions for its sunny weather, laidback vibe, and not to mention excellent food and wine. Spain offers some of Europe’s best beach resorts, mountain getaways, and cultural gems such as Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and A Coruña.
Unfortunately, Spain has suffered greatly from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic with a high number of cases and deaths. After the country entered into one of Europe’s harshest lockdowns in the spring of 2020, it reopened to tourists over the summer, but then went back into a state of emergency in 2020, continuing to run into present-day 2021.
Although the state of alarm has been lifted, some travel restrictions remain.
What’s the Covid Situation in Spain?
Spain has seen over 4.6 million infections and over 82,400 deaths as of August 13, 2021. The independent Comunidades or “Provinces” must now set their own restrictions and will need permission from the courts to apply them.
Last January was reportedly Spain’s worst month throughout the entire pandemic, and on February 8th the country recorded the biggest rise in cases since the pandemic began.
However on March 8th, Spain accounted for the lowest weekend rise in cases since July of 2020, but then numbers went up again in late March, urging authorities to give warning amid fears of a third wave hitting Europe.
Luckily, rates have since appeared to have stabilized, but concerns continue to grow due to the Delta variant. 111,213 new cases were reported in Spain in the past week.
To date, over 62% of the Spanish population has been fully vaccinated.
Who Can Enter Spain?
Spain is allowing entry to tourists who are fully vaccinated, without proof of a negative Covid test, including those arriving from designated “risk” locations. As of July 2nd, UK travellers must show proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid test within 48 hours of arrival. Spain and the Balearic Islands are currently on the UK’s “amber list”.
Visitors arriving from the following countries must go into a ten-day quarantine: Brazil, South Africa, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, and Namibia unless they are EU or Schengen Area residents or have a long-term visa. See full details of quarantine rules here.
Travellers from most countries in the European Union and Schengen Area — as well as Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Canada, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Montenegro, New Zealand, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Republic of North Macedonia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, USA, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Kosovo, and Taiwan can enter Spain without proof of vaccination or recent negative Covid test. Please see this map for exact restrictions on each destination.
If you haven’t been fully vaccinated and you’re arriving from a country that isn’t part of the EU or the Schengen zone or one of the listed countries above, you may only be allowed entry if your visit is deemed essential.
Moving Forward?
Spain’s tourism sector has been devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic, as the summer of 2020 saw a catastrophic holiday season. Tourist spending last year plummeted by à whopping 70.6% to just €11.84 billion.
We hope that the increase in global vaccinations means that we can soon get back to some kind of normality, enjoying each other’s company and travelling freely. The United Kingdom is Spain’s main source of tourists, as an estimated average of one in every five tourists to Spain are from the United Kingdom.
The Spanish tourism industry has always greatly relied on this foreign income. Tourism is a cornerstone for the Spanish economy, representing an outstanding driver for both economic and social development.
For instance, Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol alone bring in millions of euros in foreign income. Without it, Spain faces an immense economic deficit in hotels, restaurants, and bars. The Spanish tourism sector makes up for 2.6 million direct jobs.
A slow but steady decline in Covid cases and a good pace of vaccination have fueled hopes of a fairly good summer season. This summer, the Spanish government has received around 17 million international arrivals, which is three times more than in the summer of 2020.