FILE PHOTO: Tourists visit the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain June 17, 2020. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo
MADRID – Spain’s huge tourism sector will come close to reaching its pre-pandemic size in 2022, an industry association said, although the surge in the Omicron variant and supply issues will prevent a full recovery this year.
Spain was the world’s second most visited country before the pandemic. Holidaymakers flocked to its beaches and historic buildings while trendy cities like Barcelona and Madrid were popular for short breaks.
Industry association Exceltur expects Spain’s tourism gross domestic product to be worth 135 billion euros ($155 billion) in 2022, 88% of pre-pandemic levels, versus 57% in 2021, when a partial recovery of domestic tourism didn’t offset a contraction in international travellers.
Activity would return to levels prior to the pandemic only in 2023, the group said.
With infections breaking records almost daily as the Omicron variant sweeps across…