Costa del Sol deserted at traditional start of peak season

This was in stark contrast to the same time last year when Malaga Airport had fifty airlines connecting 133 destinations on 235 routes, 22 of which were new.

As for when we can see a return to normality, there is no news yet - only concern for the industry in both the short and long term. Ryanair, the largest airline by passenger numbers in Malaga, has suspended flights until June, while the new routes recently announced to Doha, Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv could also be in jeopardy.

The Andalusian regional vice president and regional minister for Tourism, Juan Marín, this week presented a new forecast report. This worst-case scenario, it said, would see the loss from tourism come in at 13.3 billion euros (compared to six billion mentioned in the first study released). It also points to the loss of 137,000 jobs in the industry that is the driving force of the local economy.

"The most negative scenario proposes a recovery of both the national and international market at the same rate as after the SARS episode in 2003. Using this model, we would see 14 million tourists arriving in 2020 - 18.4 million less than in 2019, down almost 60 per cent," said Marín.

Promotional campaigns

Marín's message to the industry, however, is that the sector will recover, and that it is important to be ready when it does.

To that end, the Junta launched a new promotional video with the message: "Andalucía wants you to stay at home [...] but we'll share our happiness and passion with the whole world again soon."

Similarly, Turismo Costa del Sol is looking at new strategies to attract visitors once travel restrictions are lifted. These include advertising campaigns within Spain, specifically elsewhere in Andalucía, but also in Extremadura and Castilla la Mancha because of their high-speed train connections.