Subsidised holidays for Mallorca's retirees so popular there isn't nearly enough availability

Mallorca, primarily Playa de Palma, is an Imserso destination, but retirees in the Balearics look to go elsewhere in Spain. However, the popularity is such that there simply isn't enough availability. The president of the Aviba association of travel agencies, Pedro Fiol, points out that 87% of people in the Balearics who are registered for Imserso holidays have been unable to book one for the current season. A total of 93,304 people are registered. To date, only 11,687 have been able to make reservations.

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Fiol says demand for Imserso holidays has increased this year by up to 15%. He explains that 70,000 more places (beds) across Spain were added for this year but that these have not been sufficient to meet the demand. He is calling on the ministry to facilitate more holidays.

Catalonia provides evidence of the increased demand. In the past it was one of the few destinations where places would still have been available in February. This isn't the case this year. "Before, there was always something left in February and so the people who were on the waiting list could get a package. This year there is nothing available."

A reason why the holidays are so popular is their price. "They are very economical packages. A week with full board costs 260 euros per person." The government subsidies serve a dual purpose - to allow retirees to travel at affordable prices and to enable hotels to remain open and provide more months of employment. Fiol adds that retirees today are not like those of 20 years ago. Their quality of life has improved considerably and they are more interested in travelling.