Spain records worst tourism numbers in decades as arrivals drop by 77% amid pandemic

Spain has recorded its worst tourism industry output in decades as the number of foreign travellers in 2020 plunged to 19 million due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. According to reports, Spain received a whopping 84 million tourists in 2019, making it one of the world's top travel destinations. However, the COVID-19-induced restrictions saw the numbers drop by 77%, the first negative growth for the Spanish tourism industry in more than 10 years. 

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The country earned just 20 billion euros in 2020, a 79% decline from the year before when the industry contributed 92 billion euros to the Spanish economy. Before the pandemic hit and gripped the global travel industry by its throat, Spain's 1.1 trillion-euro GDP blossomed with an 11% contribution from the tourism sector alone. However, the recent data unsurprisingly suggests that the industry has suffered a major blow from the pandemic, which resulted in the country receiving its lowest number of tourists since 1969. 

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Spain plans to boost tourism through rapid vax drive

Spain is one of the worst affected countries in the world with more than 2.8 million confirmed cases and over 60,000 deaths so far. Although the daily infection rate in the country has dropped significantly, it is still recording relatively high caseloads compared to some of its peers in the European Union. Spain registered more than 16,000 new infections last weekend, a decline from over 32,000 on January 22, the country's highest since the peak in November. 

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Spain intends to bring back the tourism sector on track by rapidly administering COVID-19 vaccine doses. The country has inoculated more than 1.6 million people so far, just below Germany and Italy in terms of total vaccinations in the European Union. Spain is vaccinating at the speed of 3.6 persons per 100 people, which is the highest among its European peers. Spain intends to inoculate more than 30% of its population before summers when the country receives most foreign travellers and the domestic tourism sector is at its peak. 

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(Image, Inputs: AP)