It looks like Americans will have yet another country in Europe that they will be able to visit this summer. Spain announced this week that it would be looking to implement a digital certificate as a pilot this May for a potential reopening to international visitors in June. Through the program, spearheaded by the European Travel Commission, as reported by our sister publication Travel Agent, travelers would be able to show records of their vaccination history, recent negative COVID test results or proof that they have recently recovered from the virus.
According to Europa Press, at the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit, held at the Moon Palace Convention Centre in Cancun, Spain’ secretary of state for tourism Fernando Valdés reiterated the “excellent news” regarding the European Union’s plans to allow the entry of U.S. citizens who are fully vaccinated into the bloc.
While no official “start date” has been set by the E.U. to begin accepting American travelers as a whole, several countries have taken the news as the “go-ahead” to announce their own plans. Recently, France detailed part of its phased reopening plans, while Greece pushed up the reopening of its borders to select countries—which included the United States. While outside of the E.U., Iceland officially reopened to all fully vaccinated travelers in March, and the U.K.’s Global Travel Taskforce set in motion a “traffic light” system, which could see the country reopen by mid-May.
The New York Times reports that Spain has vaccinated 24 percent of its population, with 8.9 percent having been fully vaccinated. It also lists Spain among the countries were new COVID-19 cases are higher and staying higher, with 8,390 daily average new cases in the last seven days (that’s 18 per 100,000 people). According to The Guardian, the Spanish government has set a goal of having 70 percent of its population vaccinated by the end of summer.
This article originally appeared on www.travelagentcentral.com.
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