Spain sees tourism back to prepandemic levels in 2022 after solid Sept data

FILE PHOTO: A tourist jumps into the sea on the Amadores beach, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the south of the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, August 3, 2021. REUTERS/Borja Suarez/File Photo

MADRID (Reuters) - International travel to Spain is recovering fast and could allow the tourism-dependent nation to reach pre-pandemic foreign visitor levels by 2022, the government said on Wednesday after data showed a sharp rise in September arrivals.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Spain more than quadrupled in September from a year ago to nearly 4.7 million, data from the National Statistics Office showed, as widespread vaccination and looser travel restrictions enticed back more visitors.