Trump travel ban set to hit Spain
THE announcement by President Trump on Wednesday that almost all flights from Europe to the US would be suspended for a month in an effort to contain the coronavirus is set to hit the Spanish economy. About three and a half million Americans visited Spain in 2019, the sixth largest amount of visitors from one country. Although people will still be allowed to travel here it is not apparent how they will be able to return home, especially if the ban is extended past the original month. US tourism to Spain is expected to virtually stop in the near future, including Easter, adding to the vast majority of Italian visitors (4.5 million in 2019) who are also staying away or not allowed to travel. The ban included all Schengen treaty countries, so excludes the UK and Ireland at this stage. Trump blamed the Schengen countries “unrestricted border controls” for the spread in the US although there is no evidence supporting this. Cancellation or postponement of major events such as Valencia’s Fallas are also impacting heavily on the vital tourist sector.
