Spain: Food Service - Hotel Restaurant Institutional

The impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on the Spanish Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional (HRI) sector has been nothing short of devastating. After hosting another record number of foreign visitors in 2019, Spain welcomed 18.9 million foreign tourists in 2020, a 77.3 percent decrease. As vaccination advances and restrictions are progressively lifted, Spain’s economy is projected to grow 6.2 percent in 2021 and 5.8 percent in 2022. As a result, Spain's GDP is expected to return to its pre-pandemic level by the end of 2022. Though still far from the pre-pandemic scenarios, the recovery seems to be aided by the increase in domestic tourism, since many Spanish travelers opted to stay in Spain. The hospitality sector now hopes that international tourism will steadily recover.