Spain’s secretary of state for tourism has confirmed that Irish passengers will be able to enter the country from June in line with a new certification scheme.
Under new plans, some non-essential travel will be able to resume, with passengers having proof of being vaccinated, testing negative or having recovered from the virus with the European Commission's proposed Digital Green Pass.
Fernando Valdés told the World Travel & Tourism Council summit in Mexico on Tuesday that this would be “fundamental to offering travellers certainty”.
Spain will be carrying out a pilot scheme in May with the new health certificates and experts estimate that the country will be ready to allow tourists back from the beginning of June.
Mr Valdés said: “I think the best thing that Governments right now can provide to travellers is a certainty - give the proper information and the security that they can travel and they can come back to the countries.
“In those terms, in the European Union, we put in place a system that provides us with a digital certificate.
“Spain is going to be ready in June to use this digital certificate. We are doing a pilot programme in May, in all our 46 airports.
“We are going to give all these travellers that certainty. Spain is going to be ready in June to tell all travellers worldwide that you can visit us.”
Once the Digital Green Passes/certificates are approved in Europe, the Irish government will begin implementing them here for those who have been vaccinated, tested negative or who have recovered from the virus, enabling them to travel in Europe.
Meanwhile, Emma Brennan, who owns Brennan's Bar in Puerto del Carmen, says that pubs in Lanzarote are hoping to see tourists from Ireland returning very soon - "the more the merrier”, she says.
Although hope remains high among Lanzarote’s hospitality industry professionals, Emma said she believes it will be Christmas time before the Irish return.
"I don't think the Irish will be back until nearer Christmas, to be honest.
"We'll have the English back first because they're mostly vaccinated."
