Tourism in Spain in 2021 remained far from pre-coronavirus levels, with a turnover of almost 43% lower, sector professionals said on Thursday (13), who expect a stronger reactivation this year.
In total, tourism generated 88.5 billion euros (R$ 560 billion) in 2021, according to Exceltur. This figure represents an increase of 36 billion compared to 2020, but is still 42.8% lower than in 2019, when 155 billion euros (R$ 981 billion) were recorded.
The resumption of activity, long-awaited after a catastrophic 2020, was “partial” and “full of ups and downs”, highlighted the vice president of Exceltur, José Luis Zoreda, at a press conference.
According to Exceltur, the activity remained “paralyzed” until May 2021, as a result of health restrictions. Then, during the summer, there was an increase that would fall again at the end of November due to the explosion of cases generated by the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Foreign tourism was the most affected.
Only 31 million visitors arrived in Spain last year, according to the organization. This number is a far cry from the government’s target, which had hoped to attract 45 million people, about half the 2019 volume.
Second world tourist destination —after France—​ before the pandemic, Spain suffered especially from the fall in British tourism, until then its first contingent of foreign visitors, ahead of French and Germans.
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