Spain’s government in its efforts to revive the economy and the touristic sector has shared a plan to lift the ban for international cruise ships. They will be able to dock in Spanish ports from June 7.
The Spanish prime minister said on Saturday that the country is ready to lift a ban imposed when the corona epidemic began. Taking into account the falling numbers of covid cases in regions where most cruise ships dock, the idea looks really reasonable.
As the government added, the measure would be lifted due to the easing of the virus in the EU where most cruise passengers come from, as well as rising inoculation numbers. The ban was first imposed in mid-March 2020 and later took the form of a resolution which was published on June 23 by Spain’s Directorate General of Shipping (DGMM).
Spain used to be second-most popular destination for cruise ship stopovers
Before the pandemic, Spain was Europe’s second-most popular destination for cruise ship stopovers, the ministry said, indicating it played an important economic role for the Spanish economy.
In 2019, international cruises contributed around 2.8 billion euros to Spain’s GDP, accounting for some 50,000 jobs and 1.5 billion euros in wages, as the Cruise Lines International Association reports.
With nearly 80,000 deaths and more than 3.6 million infections, Spain has been badly hit by the pathogen but the number of covid has slowed significantly as its immunization campaign has been accelerated.
