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Date Published: 29/11/2021
ARCHIVED - Omicron Covid variant leads to wave of tourist cancellations in Spain
Hospitality and tourism insiders in Spain share “enormous fear” that the Christmas campaign will be affected
Just as the worst of the coronavirus pandemic appeared to have past, infections have once again skyrocketed throughout Spain and the threat of the new Omicron variant is sweeping the globe. Spain has temporarily closed its borders to South Africa and Botswana and from December 1, UK passengers will require a full vaccination schedule to enter the country.
Uncertainty over the virus and travel restrictions are already having a dire impact on the hospitality sector, and the Tourism Board, which represents dozens of Spanish companies from the industry, has revealed that there is now “great uncertainty about the effects of the Omicron variant” as well as “enormous fear” that the strain will cause a wave of cancellations on the run-up to Christmas.
The rise of the South African variant has forced restrictions and confinements on half of Europe, with neighbouring Portugal declaring a state of calamity and decreeing that teleworking will be mandatory in all companies and bars and nightclubs will close from January 2.
The Tourism Board has confirmed that cancellations are already pouring in from countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria, although for now, visitors from Spain’s biggest tourism nations, Germany and Great Britain, are still arriving as normal. There have, however, already been many cancellations in restaurant reservations throughout Spain in recent days.
“This variant can undoubtedly cause a stop in reservations just when the Spanish tourism sector was recovering,” according to the Board’s general secretary Carlos Abella. “If restrictions are increased in the issuing countries, it will logically harm the arrival of foreign tourists to Spain.”
For now, the Spanish government is intent on avoiding national restrictions, although many communities, including Valencia, have introduced the mandatory use of Covid vaccination ‘passports’ for entry to bars, restaurants and elderly care homes.
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