Spain is leading an initiative at European level, in which nine member countries participate, to jointly propose a recovery plan "to support and relaunch the tourism sector", which includes homogeneous protocols for all.

This request is signed by the Tourism Ministers of Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria. During an informal meeting of EU ministers that took place today, they presented a joint statement to ask Brussels for a recovery plan aimed at alleviating the negative impact caused by covid and relaunching the sector.

All the countries that have signed the declaration are tourist markets, which have seen how in the last two months one of the main engines of their economies has stopped.

Tourism represents more than 10% of the EU's GDP and almost 12% of employment. It is also the leading destination worldwide, with more than 40% of the market and 562 million international arrivals per year.

Hence the importance for these countries to be able to activate the sector as soon as possible. In Spain, tourism represents 13% of GDP. The Spanish minister of the branch, Reyes Maroto, "has been the main driving force behind the agreed text," according to the ministry itself in a statement.

This proposal to develop a recovery plan includes "three key pillars". The first of these is to establish "homogeneous protocols to guarantee safe mobility" between member countries. Then there is "attention to the specific problems" of each country and the most affected territories.

Later, they demand "the authorization of funds to help companies and workers in the sector." Maroto defended in this meeting the need to contemplate economic measures and to recover mobility, first among the member states first and then internationally.

"Air transport is key for tourism," said the minister, who pointed out that "airlines should receive specific support in order to guarantee viability." "Mobility must guarantee safety and generate confidence in travelers."

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