Spain wants tourists to return within weeks

People walk along La Concha beach in San Sebastian, northern Spain (Alvaro Barrientos/AP)

A senior Spanish government official has said he expects British and other tourists to return to Spain within weeks as the country races to revive its tourism industry amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Deputy minister for tourism Fernando Valdes told the Associated Press that falling coronavirus incidence rates and accelerating vaccine rollouts in some countries will enable Spain to drop travel restrictions early next month.