Spanish Tourism Hits Record Low of Arrivals in July

Tourism has been one of the hardest hit industries due to the coronavirus pandemic. Spain witnessed a 75% drop in visitor numbers for July compared to 2019.

The dramatic loss of tourism revenue for Spain means a massive hit for the country’s economy, with more than 12% of its GDP coming in from tourism in 2018 and 2019. Spain implemented one of the strictest lockdowns globally in March.

But with a reappearance of cases with restrictions lifted, the numbers for July, with the borders reopened, the hopes were not met. The COVID-19 outbreak showcased the worst tourism season for Spain in decades.

As per the national statistics authority of Spain, just 2.5 million international tourists visited the country in July, marking a 75% drop from last year, which attracted 10 million visitors. In April and May, there were almost zero tourists.

Countries like the UK and Germany, contributing significant proportions of Spain’s usual tourist revenue, have imposed quarantine measures for arrivals from Spain, or red-listed many parts of the country due to its surge in COVID-19 cases.

Visitors from over the border in France have continued to come to Spain, with almost 600,000 visiting in July, but still that’s a decrease of 58.4% compared to last July.