Spain: COVID-19 vs. Pre-COVID-19

Almost all the countries, big or small, barred international mobility across their borders due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The step was very much necessary to reduce the spread of the Novel Coronavirus because of the international visits.

Spain also imposed temporary travel restrictions for international travelers but is now all set to open its borders for some countries. Read further to know more.

Post COVID-19 Spain

The Spanish authorities imposed temporary international travel restrictions on May 16, 2020. After being closed for more than two months, the Government of Spain has announced the reopening of its international borders with 12 third-countries with European Union Council recommendation.

In other words, Spain will now allow the residents of these 12 third-countries to enter Spain on a valid visa. The decision of reopening the borders was taken on June 30 after reconciling with the UE Council.

Which countries’ residents can enter Spain after the reopening?

Spain has allowed the entry of the residents of 12 non-EU countries that are outside the Schengen zone through a valid passport. The Spanish government has decided against reopening the borders because these countries have comparatively lesser cases of COVID-19 and thus, confer comparatively safer mobility through general screening.

The Spanish authorities have decided to lift the temporary international travel restrictions from their borders to the residents of the following countries as per July 4, 2020:

•          Australia

•          Canada

•          Japan

•          New Zealand

•          Serbia

•          South Korea

•          Thailand

•          Montenegro

•          Rwanda

•          Tunisia

•          Uruguay

Besides allowing the residents of these countries, Spain has also reconciled to open its borders for non-essential travels for China, Algeria, and Morocco if they also do so for the Spanish residents (as per July 30, 2020).  

The pre-COVID-19 Spain

Spain, with a mesmerizing nightlife, exotic architecture, and humongous football stadiums, was one of the most amazing destinations for tourists all over the globe. It still is, but its vividness has been shadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tourists used to apply Spain visa London, the US, and many more countries for indulging in the mesmerizing culture of the Spanish cities.

The Spain visa UK is the most applied visa with approximately 17,675,367 UK residents visiting Spain each year. The list is followed Germany, France, and Italy with the number of visitors 11,414,481, 11,258,540, and 3,969,322 residents visiting Spain each year respectively.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Spain’s Tourism

The Spanish tourism industry faced a severe setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some of which are as follows:

·         As per the data of April 10, 2020, the number of searches for Spanish flights went down by 87%.

·         The air connectivity lost 90% of the seats, etc.

In the end

Spain, just like most of the other countries, is not accepting visa applications for now. The Spanish visa UK was one of the most applied tourist visas in the world but as the whole world is under lockdown, the situation remains unpredictable.