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The RIU Concordia Hotel in Palma de Mallorca on June 10, 2020 preparing to welcome German tourists
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Germans are being allowed to fly to the Balearic Islands in Spain from June 15 to test out so-called ‘virus tourism’ for a two-week period in order to trial how Spain’s tourism industry will cope under new Covid-19 health regulations.
As reported by Associated Press, tourism generates 12% of Spain’s gross domestic product and provides 2.6 million jobs, many of which have been dormant during the pandemic. So it’s vital that tourists arrive back for summer. As such, this two-week test is crucial before the entire country reopens its borders on July 1st.
The Balearic Islands, which include Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca, are allowing 10,900 Germans to holiday there, using various tour operators such as TUI and other airlines.
20 May 2020 on the beach of Paguera on the Spanish island of Mallorca where tourists from Germany … [+]
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President of the Balearic Islands, Francina Armengol, announced “we will be the first region (in Spain) to open to international tourism under safe conditions” adding that the Germans had been chosen because of their low death rate during the pandemic.
Germany’s death toll amounts to 8,695 and whilst high, is approximately four times less than Italy’s and five times less than the U.K’s.
Germans can purchase the tickets to fly on a first-come, first-served basis until all 10,900 slots have been taken. Visitors are not required to have health checks but they will have to fill in a questionnaire on the plane. They will have temperature checks upon arrival and be instructed on when to wear masks and social distancing rules.
An employee in Palma de Mallorca on June 10, 2020 as the Balearic Islands prepare to welcome German … [+]
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They will not have to go into a 14-day quarantine, unlike all other current arrivals. They must stay a minimum of five nights.
Germans are keen fans of the Balearic Islands and, along with Italians and Moroccans, make up a large part of the island’s foreign residents. These visitors will be allowed to stay at their own houses, if they have second homes on the islands.
It is such a popular tourist spot with Germans, that the archipelago is sometimes called Germany’s 17th state–menus are often translated into German at restaurants and there is a daily German-language newspaper, Mallorca Zeitung.