Jason Moore12/04/2017 00:00
TW
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The holiday season starts to get into full swing this week with hotels reporting an occupancy level of almost 80 per cent. In some parts of the island it will be higher. This year will be a record season but I can see the island facing some stiff competition from Turkey. In fact, as we all know Turkey is cheaper than Majorca, and with families watching their pennies it could be a real threat to Majorca.

The ten per cent fall in the value of sterling against the euro since Brexit means that there will be a big rise in demand for all-inclusive holidays. One major tour firm has already said if families wanted value for money then Turkey is their best option. The security fears about resorts in the eastern Mediterranean and north Africa now appear to have eased. One of the reasons why the island had such a great season last year was because thousands of tourists were diverted to the island from resorts in north Africa.

So, Majorca can't sit back. It must offer value for money, especially if the pound continues to be low against the euro. Brexit will dent the spending power of British tourists, which will not affect the Balearics too much, but it will certainly hit the rest of Spain, where British tourism rules supreme. I get the impression that there is an air of complacency in certain sections of the tourist industry at the moment. Their body language is that tourists will always come to the Balearics, whatever happens. This is a dangerous attitude, especially in tourism.