Alex Trelinski
SPAIN lost €155 billion in tourist revenue due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the National Statistics Institute(INE).
Easter tourism seems to be bouncing back with national average predictions of around 80% occupancy, and much higher in areas like the Balearic Islands or Benidorm.
Some parts of Spain are even suggesting better numbers than back in 2019.
In 2020 and 2021, almost 120 million foreign travellers did not go to Spanish tourist areas according to the INE.
That accounted for a €130 billion drop in foreign spending.
The biggest fall in overseas arrivals were among UK visitors over two years of the pandemic, with a drop of 28.6 million followed by Germans(14.7 million fewer) and France(12.6 million less).
Especially tough UK restrictions and border closures played a part in deflating British visitors, which at times fell behind those of France.
In the regions, Catalunya had the biggest fall of visitors over two years, with a 29.1 million drop, followed by the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands.
An additional 12.5 million absentees are predicted this year by the government compared to 2019 levels.
That means revenue losses calculated from the end of 2019 will surpass the €160 billion mark come the end of this year.
National tourism helped businesses last year, but expenditure levels were considerably lower than for overseas visitors who spend a lot more.
READ MORE:
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- Spain looks forward to busy Easter holiday season boosted by big return of foreign tourists
- Benidorm bounces back: British visitors outnumber Spaniards for the first time since pandemic
