Spain Tourism Continues Bounce Back As Madrid Launches Traveller Subsidy

November 3, 2021November 3, 2021 Madrid Metropolitan madrid news, visit madrid, visit spain, What's on Madrid

The Spanish tourist sector enjoyed its fourth consecutive month of year-on-year growth according to data published by the government agency Turespaña.

The latest figures, which include the data from September, also shows that employment in the sector continues to grow with some 12.2% of the Spanish workforce working in the industry.

The Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, has welcomed the latest figures, saying that they confirm that “the trend of growth in tourism employment and its dynamism is consolidated, which indicates that the recovery of tourism is underway and will be completed in 2022”.

This week the Madrid regional premier, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, announced the launch of Bonos Turisticos Comunidad de Madrid, a key initiative to encourage domestic visitors to the region.

The initiative which is open to all Spanish residents, gives visitors discounts of up to 50% and subsidies worth up to 600 EUR for tourist activities and accommodation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Museum of the Valley of the Neandertales in the village of Pinilla del Valle, situated in the Sierra of Madrid, Ayuso said that the scheme would be operative from 16th November and residents can register for their bono ( voucher) from the 10th November.

🔴 La Comunidad de Madrid pone en marcha los nuevos Bonos Turísticos de hasta 600 euros.
✅ Ahorrarás hasta un 50% en productos y servicios turísticos y culturales de nuestra región.
📲 Podrás solicitarlos a partir del 16 de noviembre en nuestra web: https://t.co/IMmuj2N6K1 pic.twitter.com/ZXY7xhvpKU
— Comunidad de Madrid (@ComunidadMadrid) November 2, 2021

The scheme, which runs until 15th May, requires a minimum of two nights accommodation in the region which must be used within 40 days of the reservation.

The regional government expects to attract some 40,000 new visitors to Madrid.

The Madrid initiative mirrors others in Spain´s 17 autonomous regions, many of whom such as Andalucia, Valencia, Balearics and Canary Islands rely heavily on tourism for the economy and jobs.

The industry is estimated to represent around 14% of Spain´s GDP and has been trying to recover from the near catastrophic fallout from the pandemic and freeze of international travel which saw tourist numbers plummet in 2020.