Mallorca hoteliers say subsidised holidays for Spain's pensioners are "obsolete"

The Mallorca Hoteliers Federation believes Imserso is in urgent need of an update. It has become "obsolete" in that it doesn't meet the needs of the country's pensioners or make much financial sense for hotels.

There were two reasons why the programme was introduced. One was to provide Spanish Government-subsidised holidays for pensioners who might otherwise never have had holidays; the other was a means of boosting the low season in resorts and creating employment over the winter. The federation accepts that it was a successful scheme that allowed thousands of pensioners to travel every year. "But today it is outdated."

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As well as the redesign of packages, the hoteliers insist that there have to be new financial arrangements. They maintain that what they are paid for Imserso is below operating costs, inflation having exacerbated this. Mallorca's hoteliers have been saying they make little or nothing from Imserso for several years, and they aren't alone. Hoteliers in Benidorm, for instance, have been among the fiercest critics of Imserso.

The federation adds: "Establishments in Mallorca and the Balearics have repositioned and improved their facilities, meaning that the high season has become longer. Fewer and fewer hotels want to participate in Imserso because, quite simply, it's not profitable."

The draft specifications for the 2025/2026 season include an increase in the financial allocation to the consortiums which market the programme and to participating hotels. This increase is in response to the rise in operating costs over the past two years. As it is, the hotels typically only receive 24 euros per person per night.

* Imserso stands for Instituto de Mayores y Servicios Sociales - Institute for the Elderly and Social Services. It is a division of the ministry for social rights. It is this ministry that is responsible for the Imserso holidays, not Spain's tourism ministry.