Despite the significant drop in the number of new cases of Covid-19 every day in China, the authorities further tightened the restrictive measures in Shanghai on Tuesday May 10. A strategy out of step with Europe which is approaching a return to normal as in Spain where tourists are returning en masse. In Japan, borders are opening but more slowly.
An encouraging recovery in Spain
In Spain, the statistics department, INE, published very positive figures last week. The country welcomed four million tourists in March, eight times more than a year ago. The country has thus recovered 71% of the foreign tourists it had attracted before the Covid-19 pandemic. In the same month of March 2022, these travelers spent five billion euros, compared to only 544 million euros in March 2021, which represents 80% of expenditure before the health crisis.
In the first three months of 2022, nearly 10 million foreign tourists came to Spain, mainly British, Germans and French. Figures that reflect the recovery of the Spanish tourism sector. The main regions to have benefited from this improvement are Catalonia, Andalusia and above all the Canary Islands. The regional president, Ángel Víctor Torres, is very satisfied: “We have succeeded in stimulating the tourist market in the Canary Islands again. These are magnificent figures, above our expectations, and which are fundamental for the economy of the Canaries.”
“It is true that with the invasion of Ukraine, uncertainty is returning, but what is obvious is that tourist bookings and forecasts are good.”
Angel Victor Torres, President of the Canary Islands Regionat franceinfo
The Spanish tourism sector has suffered greatly in the past two years, when it represented 12% of GDP and almost 13% of jobs, before the pandemic. Spain was the second tourist destination in the world behind France, before the health crisis, and it suffered a lot from the international mobility restrictions imposed to curb the pandemic, as José Luis Zoreda, vice-president of the employers’ association Exceltur: “The Spanish tourism sector has gone through 24 very dark months, with very irregular activities, and companies’ cash flow stretched thin. By the end of the year, it is likely that we will have recovered practically 92 to 93 % of all 2019 activity This recovery is encouraging for the sector and now we need to ensure its viability.”
Spanish authorities and tourism representatives are optimistic but remain cautious, aware that they must continue to consolidate the sector.
Japan will reopen (a little) its borders in the summer
In terms of tourism, Japan is one of the last to maintain strict rules, particularly vis-à-vis foreign visitors. Since April 2020, no tourist of foreign nationality has the right to stay in the country. The government has only allowed business travelers and foreign students since March under conditions. They must provide proof of an on-site hosting guarantor, a company, a university or a school. However, from June a priori, Japan should finally partially reopen the borders to tourists if we are to believe Prime Minister Fumio Kishida: “Compared to the rest of the world, Japan’s response to Covid-19 has been successful. In June, we will further ease border measures so that entry into Japan is as easy as other G7 countries. “
>> Covid-19: in Japan, the inhabitants do not seem ready to give up wearing a mask
This statement shows that the executive realizes the imbalance of the situation knowing that the Japanese are free to go where they want and come back. Japan should therefore, if all goes well, be accessible to tourists this summer. But beware, the devil is in the details. It will not be all tourists and not at the same time. Initially, only those coming in small groups and as part of a stay organized by a travel agency will be accepted. Easy to control tourists. The number of entries per day will be capped. Three doses of vaccine and negative tests will be essential requirements to be met, as is the case for business travelers.
Tourists will have to remain masked just like the inhabitants of Japan are everywhere. Moreover, all this is conditional on a continuous improvement of the epidemic situation in Japan and the absence of the appearance of a new threatening variant. The door will therefore not be wide open, especially since Japanese citizens are not necessarily in a hurry to see tourists return in large numbers, despite the shortfall in the sector. Before the Covid crisis, in 2019, Japan had welcomed 32 million foreign visitors and thus garnered 44 billion euros in revenue. It will take time to get back to that level.