International cruise ships will be able to anchor in Spanish ports starting June 7, the Spanish government announced today, thus lifting restrictions imposed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This relief is due to the slowdown in the circulation of the virus in Europe, where most ships come from, as well as the increase in vaccination,” the Ministry of Transport specified in a press release.
The decision is also related to the reduction of cases in the regions where ships anchor more.
The ban was imposed in mid-March 2020 in Spain, which, before the COVID-19 pandemic, was the second destination in Europe for cruise ship stops, which play an important role in the economy, according to the ministry.
In 2019, the sector contributed about 2.8 billion euros to Spain’s GDP, accounting for about 50,000 jobs and 1.5 billion euros in wages.