Spain's tourism industry recovers to 2019 levels amid inflation concerns

STORY: Spain's tourism industry recovers to 2019 levels amid inflation concerns DATELINE: Aug. 23, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:53 LOCATION: BARCELONA, Spain CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of tourists and street views 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): JORGR MARICHAL, President of CEHAT 3. various of tourists and street views 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): JORGR MARICHAL, President of CEHAT 5. various of a gas station, a grocery store and people on terraces STORYLINE: Spain's tourism industry is recovering as activities in the sector this summer have returned to pre-pandemic levels. The World Hotel Index report by SiteMinder found that Spain is leading the recovery of tourism in Europe, with hotel reservations at 106% of pre-pandemic figures. According to Spain's National Institute of Statistics, 30 million foreign tourists visited Spain in the first half of 2022, compared to just 5 million in the same period last year, and close to 38 million in 2019 before the pandemic began. Meanwhile, the Smart Observatory report b