- Title: German tourists enjoy sunny Mallorca as Merkel tightens travel restrictions
- Date: 23rd March 2021
- Summary: VARIOUS OF WOMAN SINGING AND PLAYING THE GUITAR
- Embargoed: 6th April 2021 14:06
- Keywords: Angela Merkel COVID-19 German tourists in Palma de Mallorca Germany travel restrictions coronavirus travel restrictions tourism in Spain
- Location: PALMA DE MALLORCA, SPAIN
- City: PALMA DE MALLORCA, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Europe,Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA002E5B15C7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: As Germany extended its lockdown until April 18 on Tuesday (March 23) and called on citizens to stay at home for five days over the Easter holidays to try to break a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, German tourists in the Spanish island of Mallorca said they felt safe in their holiday destination whilst others said the lockdown would do more harm than good.
"I think Madam Merkel has completely lost any understanding about the situation. Corona is a dangerous subject, I agree, but the side effects from the German policy against corona is much worse than corona itself," said Alhard, 59, a tourist from Luxembourg visiting Mallorca.
Germans can travel freely even amid the pandemic, but hotels and holiday resorts in the country are not allowed to rent rooms to tourists. That leaves travel abroad as the only option for those who are desperate to go on holidays.
Airlines will now be responsible for ensuring all travellers and crew are tested for the coronavirus prior to departure to Germany, regardless of the infection rate in the country they have visited.
"We'll take the test, we're going to the hotel, we have a car, we drive around a lot and we spend a lot of time outside. We are keeping our distance to other people and I think you can't really do any better," Yvonne, 35, from Dusseldorf said as she enjoyed a walk on the promenade in Mallorca.
Merkel and the state leaders stopped short of imposing mandatory quarantine for all returning travellers, a relief for holiday destinations such as Spain's Mallorca that are banking on a boost from Easter travel business.
Some locals in Spain, however, cannot understand why international tourists are allowed to arrive in the country, whilst they are banned from leaving their region.
"We don't understand anything, we cannot understand how it is that we can't go to another region and they can come from Germany or other countries. We cannot understand it, it is incomprehensible. We will see next week if infections spike," said Maria, 68, a Spanish pensioner living in Mallorca.
Tens of thousands of holidaymakers from across Germany hit Mallorca's white sandy beaches over the weekend after Berlin eased restrictions last week.
Spain hopes foreign tourism can rebound to half its pre-pandemic levels this year after it plunged 80% to 19 million visitors last year - the lowest since 1969.
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