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It is not yet clear when tourists will be able to go on vacation to Spain again. Of July? As much as hoteliers and airlines yearn for vacationers, the government is cautious.
By Marc Dugge and Brigitte Kramer, ARD Studio Madrid
“There are only three seats left at this price,” says the Lufthansa booking page: the flight from Frankfurt to Palma de Mallorca on June 4 appears to be in high demand. There are people who are now traveling and have good reason to fly to Mallorca despite the new entry rules, says Lufthansa spokesman Martin Leutke, “and of course we want to allow them to get there.”
Leutke speaks of flights on a “small and modest level”. But there are still three direct flights that are supposed to go from Frankfurt to Mallorca on this June day. Another question is whether they will also have tourists on board.
Almost first-time residents only entrance
Until now, only those who have their primary residence there can enter Spain, with some exceptions. Starting Friday, travelers must also be quarantined as in Germany. That means: if you are traveling from abroad, you first have to stay at home or at the hotel for two weeks.
The government not only wants to prevent the corona virus from returning to Spain. It is also about justice: locals should not be put in a worse situation than tourists, says Fernando Simón, head of the health emergencies authority: “It would not make sense if a Spaniard who lives on the continent does not reach his second home. allows you to go to the Balearic Islands, but someone who lives abroad can do it by air. “
Most of the hotels are closed.
But airway is extremely important, especially for vacation islands like Mallorca. As long as the air connections don’t work, there are almost no tourists; for most hotels, therefore, it is not currently worth opening. The quarantine regulation must be applied whenever the alarm status is in force in Spain. It expires on May 24.
The government would like to extend it until all restrictions are lifted. But whether she can do that is uncertain, says political scientist Pablo Simón. The government has less and less support in parliament. “But it also seems quite excessive to keep the alarm on for so long, that would mean until the end of June, beginning of July,” he says.
July season?
In any case, the tourism sector in Mallorca is preparing for the season to start in July at the earliest. Maria Frontera pressures you. She is president of the Balearic Islands Hotel Association: “We should start as soon as possible, even if it will still be at a very low level,” she says. This is important for the islands’ economy, for the destination of Majorca and for companies and their employees.
About a third of the economic production of the Balearic Islands depends on tourism. Therefore, the region’s economy minister, Iago Neguerela, calls on the Spanish government: “It is important for us that international tourism is also possible again, with partners that are very important to us.” You have to work with them bilaterally, for example with Germany.
So will Germany and Spain take the initiative to take tourists south again? In any case, the EU Commission today called for a uniform approach by Member States to facilitate travel. EU transport ministers will meet on Friday. It may soon be clear if it is worth booking a flight to Mallorca. And above all: for when.
