ARCHIVED - Valencia and the Balearics want free PCR tests for international tourists this summer and safe corridors
The regional governments fear that non-vaccinated tourists could be deterred from travelling by the extra cost of testing
As the summer approaches those involved in Spain’s tourist industry are understandably keen to ensure that the sector can be re-activated as significantly as possible after having practically ground to a halt since last spring apart from a brief period of limited activity during the summer, and the governments of two of the regions which depend most heavily on tourism have requested that EU funds be devoted to providing free PCR testing in order to remove a potential deterrent to visitors from abroad.
The two regions concerned are the Comunidad Valenciana (which includes the Costa Blanca) and the Balearic Islands, which by coincidence also currently boast the two lowest 14-day Covid-19 incidence rates among the 17 regions of Spain (40 and 59.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants respectively).
Both of the regional government presidents, Ximo Puig in Valencia and Francina Armengol in the Balearics, believe that there is a risk that the financial cost of PCR tests could discourage non-vaccinated visitors from heading to the Costas from abroad this summer, and made their demands at a joint press conference in Valencia on Wednesday.
Sr Puig reiterated his support for the EU’s health passport scheme and his faith in its positive effect on the economy as a whole and the tourism sector in particular, but feels that the EU owes it to citizens who have not yet been vaccinated against Covid to ensure that they are not penalized by additional travel costs in the form of PCR testing. His opinion was echoed by Sra Armengol, who added that “all safe travel” is to be welcomed.
The two regional leaders discussed a range of joint collaborative measures and shared goals and also called for safe tourism corridors with the UK to be opened in order to ensure that British tourists who have been vaccinated are able to travel to Spain after the state of emergency has concluded.