The coronavirus crisis destroyed Spain’s tourism industry and created a volcanic fissure that was so large that it allowed lava to seep out, destroying almost everything along the way.
The data itself illustrates this point. Income has plummeted by more than 75%. By the end of the year, there were less than 20 million foreign tourists, leaving a total consumption of less than 20 billion euros.
In 2019, it was 83.5 million, and the total consumption was nearly 92 billion euros.
The decline in demand is unprecedented. Unlike other sectors, the tourism industry has hardly recovered because the mobility between countries continues to be at a minimum.
In fact, according to official records, it has been half a century since few foreign tourists visited Spain. For example, in 1969, nearly 21.7 million foreign tourists visited the country, while in 1968, there were approximately 19.2 million.
In the best-case scenario, the 2020 figure will be somewhere in between the two, but according to the latest figures released in October, Spain has 17.8 million foreign tourists, the same number as in 1967.