Spain PM 'moderately optimistic' over economic recovery

Madrid: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday said that he was moderately optimistic about the country's economic recovery despite the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to the media, he said the GDP was growing faster than 10 per cent in the third quarter and that partial employment data was very positive, the BBC reported.

"The situation is delicate with many uncertainties caused by the pandemic, but the resilience our workers are showing fuels a moderate optimism about the recovery of the country," he said.

His comments come after new figures showed the number of foreign tourists visiting Spain fell 75 per cent in July from a year earlier. One of the top tourist destinations in the world, Spain normally welcomes some 80 million visitors a year, but ot only received 2.5 million foreigners in the month of July, the National Statistics Institute said.

The country, one of the worst-hit in Europe, has again witnessed a sharp surge in the number of coronavirus cases in recent days. As of Tuesday, Spain's overall caseload increased to 462,858, while the death toll stood at 29,094.