Fewer tourists, but almost the same expenditure. Despite the fact that, by number, international visitors arriving in Spain still have not reached pre-pandemic levels (in May there were 7 million tourists), they do match them in terms of the money spent during their stay. Tourist spending reached €8bn in May, according to data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE) on Monday. This is almost six times more than the figure for the same month in 2021 (€1.4bn) and reaches pre-pandemic levels, i.e. 2019, when tourists spent €8.1bn. This scenario lead the sector to optimism in the run-up to the high season, which is now starting.

"We want [2022] to be the year of tourist reactivation, despite the uncertainties." This is what was expressed this Wednesday by Catalan Enterprise and Employment minister Roger Torrent. Although he did not want to anticipate a specific forecast of how many tourists are expected to arrive this year – "It is too risky," he said – Torrent was optimistic about "consolidating the recovery". But this is a long-distance race for which more than half of the route is still missing: although 2021 ended with the arrival of 5.6 million international visitors (101.3% more than in 2020), the figure is still 62% below pre-pandemic levels, as Torrent explained during the inauguration of the Catalan stand at Fitur international tourism fair, which opened this morning in Madrid

A glimmer of hope for the tourism industry in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the rest of Spain with travelers from the UK. The Johnson government is finalizing a plan for citizens who move to destinations currently classified as amber- all major markets preferred by the British in the European Union: Spain, France, Italy and Greece - but who have received two doses of the vaccine are spared from the obligation of a quarantine of ten days to return to their country.