United Airlines will connect New York to Palma next month. | R.L.

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A week today the first direct flight between New York and Palma takes off courtesy of United Airlines and by all accounts seats are selling fast, in both directions. This is partly thanks to a momentous promotional campaign led by the Council of Mallorca in the States but also demand in Mallorca - most people I know on the island either travel to New York on a regular basis or have always wanted to go, so now is their chance.

That said, Mallorca has always been extremely popular with the American market, they account for a high percentage of occupancy at many of Mallorca’s five star hotels and they too have been pushing the US market for many years.

Last year, while on a staycation near Cala Ratjada I met a family from New York. I presumed they had come to Mallorca while “doing” Europe. But no, they had come on a family holiday to Mallorca. It was their first time on the island and they said that they were really impressed with everything they had seen as they spent most of the week exploring Mallorca. They raved about the food, the culture, the scenery, the weather and the beaches and vowed to return. Who knows, maybe they’ve booked to come back this summer. I think Mallorca has cracked a good new market which has massive potential for the future.