Gomarbella visitors and even my family asked if it was safe to travel to Spain last summer. The photo above shows me on Day 71 of our lockdown in 2021 in the big Carrefour hypermarket in Estepona. And today in 2022? NO MORE MASKS! Except of course when using public transport, in pharmacies and medical facilities. When I first posted this in early June 2020, Spain’s international frontiers were closed. Now thank goodness international tourism is back. And strongly. Arriving at Malaga airport you’ll find it packed with travellers coming and going. Do have your vaccination status ready to show at the airport after you get through passport control.
Will I be safe on holiday in Spain?
Whatever difficulties the government had in getting the Covid numbers right, the workers in the hospitality industry know exactly what to do to keep you safe. For work and holiday reasons my wife and I have been able to travel throughout Spain over the last two years and we’ve got nothing but praise for hotels and restaurants for the measures they’ve taken. Although mask wearing is optional now, there’s still a cautious approach to Covid in Spain. You’ll see more people wearing masks than in the UK for example. In the end your safety depends on how you move around and who you mix with.
Expect high standards of hygiene in hotels
As I said above, at ground level the tourism industry knows exactly what is needed by law. Hotels are scrupulously cleaned and disinfected. Access to the hotels’ swimming pools is controlled and poolside attendants clean and still disinfect carefully.
You’ll be served by masked waiters and waitresses in restaurants.
Restaurants have been required by law to provide a safe distance between tables and waiters and waitresses still have to wear masks. With tourism back strongly it’s a good idea to make prior bookings for your evenings out.
Social distancing on the beaches is a thing of the past.
On the beaches the beach beds used to be laid out using a tape measure to ensure a minimum distance. In the dark days of the pandemic beach wardens and municipal police backed up with drones checked on distancing. But not any more. It’s all go on the beaches again and you certainly won’t see any masks.
Can we go out to discotheques to dance in Spain this summer?
I knew you’d ask that. Right now the answer is yes! 30 000 visitors packed the discoteques in Ibiza this weekend as Pacha and other top discos opened again after two years of closure. The dance floors are packed and no one’s wearing a mask.
Thank goodness Spain is still an enormously tactile and friendly country. As always you’ll be made very welcome because we really do need our tourists back. Everybody’s working to make it safe to travel to Spain. In the end it’ll be down to you to take precautions where social distancing is concerned. Enjoy your stay and thank you for visiting!
