The Spanish government has said it hopes the country will be open to international travellers from June, as the European Parliament discusses the introduction of Covid passports for the entire EU.
Tourism Minister Fernando Valdez said a pilot test for international tourism would be held in May to get Spain ready to receive passengers next month.
The EU is working on creating a digital certificate in time for the summer holidays, reports the BBC.
The pass would cover anyone who has either been vaccinated against Covid-19, tested negative or has recently recovered from the disease.
Several countries have already started using digital or paper passes to alleviate local lockdowns.
Valdez said at a tourism conference in Mexico that his country “will be ready in June to tell all travellers around the world that you can visit us.”
However, any opening plan for non-European tourism would depend on the EU’s digital green certificate, and Valdez said it was not a magic wand.
Spain has long been a favourite destination for British tourists, but they will have to wait a few more weeks to find out if they can make reservations. As of May 17, travel abroad for tourism purposes could continue for people in England under Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s guidelines for easing restrictions.
The UK government is also expected to determine which countries will fall into the “green ”, “amber ” and “red ” categories according to the new colour system based on the risk of infection. They will determine testing and quarantine requirements for travellers when they return from different countries.
