James Warren
FINDINGS of a new study have revealed that 2.3 million jobs could be lost throughout Spain if countries such as the UK and Norway continue to impose quarantines on people returning from Spain.
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has estimated that globally, 76.4 million people could lose their jobs thanks to travel restrictions.
Seasonal employment in Spain represents a total of 15% of the GDP in the summer months, but with fears of travel to popular hotspots such as the Costa del Sol and the Balearics, many hotel, restaurant and hospitality workers will see themselves surplus to requirement.
The WTTC based its predictions on three different outcomes, the worst of which would see restrictions in place until the end of the year.
In this ‘worst case scenario’, they estimate that the loss in GDP would be staggering, to the tune of 62% compared to 2019.
This 62% reduction would represent a financial loss of over €8.7 billion to Spain’s tourism industry.
These figures are backed up by research and statistics from Exceltur, Spain’s Alliance for Tourism Excellence.
At the very best, the WTTC expects restrictions to be lifted by Autumn, but according to Spanish economist Nadia Calviño, a plan must be put into place.
Calviño hopes that the rebirth of the tourism industry will create a ‘modernisation’ of the Spanish economy.
“The process should allow growth over a long period of time without generating imbalances such as those carried out in the past and achieve more inclusive and sustainable growth,” she said.
Currently, anyone returning to the UK from Spain must self-isolate at home for 14 days.
