Spain opens its borders to vaccinated travellers from all over the world, hoping an influx of visitors will revitalise its all-important tourism sector which has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic, AFP reports.

“Spain is a safe destination,” Health Minister Carolina Darias insisted, adding that the country was “in the process of reclaiming its global leadership in tourism”.

Non-vaccinated Europeans — who can currently enter Spain with a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours — will from Monday be able to take a cheaper antigen test instead.

But in a setback, the United Kingdom, a huge tourism market for the country, has not yet removed Spain from its list of at-risk countries, meaning British travellers will have to quarantine on their return home as well as pay for expensive Covid-19 tests.