Spanish tourism officials are optimistic that the country will have the proper protocols in place to welcome back travelers from all over the world by this summer.
"Spain will be ready in June to tell all travelers worldwide that you can visit us with certainty," the country's Secretary of State of Tourism, Fernando Valdes Verelst, said during a panel discussion at the World Travel & Tourism Council's (WTTC) Global Summit in Cancun, Mexico this week.
Currently, Americans are not able to visit Spain for leisure purposes, and the U.S. State Department has issued a Level 4 travel advisory for the European destination, advising travelers not to visit due to COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC) has also issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Spain due to the pandemic.
"Due to COVID-19 Spanish travel restrictions, U.S. citizens cannot enter Spain unless they meet very specific requirements or have already obtained special permission from the Government of Spain. Please check the Spanish regulations carefully before attempting to travel," the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Spain and Andorra states. "If you travel to Spain and are not admitted, you will be placed in immigration detention for up to several days, until a flight on the same airline becomes available to take you back to your point of origin."
Earlier this month, European Union member states agreed to move forward with a Digital Green Certificate that seeks to facilitate safe travel throughout the continent as early as this summer. The temporary measure would use a QR code to inform the proper authorities about a traveler's health status, including whether they've received an approved COVID-19 vaccine, fully recovered from the virus or tested negative within an acceptable timeframe.
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