While there is a sense of last year having been a time of recovery from the worst of the COVID-19 crisis for Spain and the wider world, there is also no doubt that the health of many important sectors has not yet returned to how it was in 2019. This much is reflected in the latest figures related to foreign tourism in Spain, which have shown that while there was a sizable jump in visitors during 2021 compared to the previous year, there is still some way to go to achieve a full return to pre-pandemic levels.
What exactly do the statistics say?
As disclosed by Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) and reported by Reuters, some 31.1 million foreign tourists were registered in the country during 2021.
This represented a significant rise on the 19 million recorded for 2020, and indicated that Spain was beginning to find sustainable ways to live with the ongoing coronavirus threat as pandemic restrictions were largely lifted over the course of the year.
However, in a reminder of the scale of the recovery that must still be made, the figure for 2019 had been 83.5 million visitors.
Fortunately, with the number of foreign visitors to Spain during December having been 2.95 million compared to the mere 649,000 recorded a year earlier, there are signs that the country’s travel sector is continuing its climb back to full form.
Reuters added that while tourists only spent €19.79 billion in Spain over the course of 2020, the past year saw a much-improved figure of €34.82 billion. Visitor expenditure for 2019 was €91.91 billion – again, another firm indication of what more needs to be done to restore the Spanish tourist industry to its previous thriving levels.
Allow us to make your life easier on your next trip to Spain
Whether you are routinely in Spain and have made frequent use in the past of our Malaga Airport private hire services, or you are visiting this southwestern European country for what might be the first time in a while (or ever), Simply Shuttles is ready and waiting to serve you.
While we do not claim to offer the cheapest transfers you will find on the Costa del Sol, we do take great pride in our status as the region’s most trusted transfer company. We have achieved and maintained this due to a commitment to always delivering the most professional and responsive services for our customers’ needs.
For a more in-depth conversation about how we can help you when you are next in Spain, please do not hesitate to call +34 951 279 117 today.