Spain prepares to welcome travelers worldwide in June

It's a summer of sun, sea and COVID certificates in Spain as the country prepares to welcome international tourists back on June 7.

Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez today announced the return of tourism in June by confirming that vaccinated travelers worldwide, including the US and Canada, will be permitted to enter Spain without quarantine restrictions. "From June 7, all vaccinated people and their families will be welcome in our country, Spain, regardless of their country of origin,” Mr Sánchez said, provided they present a certificate showing they have received their full COVID-19 vaccinations.

Mr Sánchez also confirmed that Spain will also allow tourists from 10 low-risk non-EU countries to enter "without restrictions" from May 24. The UK is on the list alongside Australia, South Korea, Japan and New Zealand.

The news comes as the EU reached an agreement on Thursday the introduction of digital green certificates to allow for cross-border tourism within Europe. The certificate would show proof that the traveler has been either fully vaccinated against COVID-19, has tested negatively for the virus, or has indeed recovered from it. Mr Sánchez said the digital certificate is great news for tourism by easing travel across the bloc. "Free, universal and simple, it will be active from July 1," he confirmed.

The EU is working to to extend the digital green certificate to countries outside the bloc this summer. 

Spain is the world's second-most visited destination after France and receives 80 million international visitors per year. When a state of emergency was declared on March 25, 2020 and borders were sealed, the tourism sector—which accounts for roughly 12% of the country’s GDP—came to a standstill.

While the threat of the virus is still present and curfew and other restrictions remain in place throughout Spain, the country is looking to the future. The Spanish government is hoping to have 70% of the adult population vaccinated by the end of summer.