Tourists seen walking the streets of Palma

Tourists seen walking the streets of Palma. | JAUME MOREY

Humphrey CarterPalma15/03/2024 10:22
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We’ve now had the three most important tourism fairs as far as Spain is concerned - London, Madrid and Berlin - and the conclusions seem rather confused.

On the one hand, there’s talk of a record-breaking season. On the other, such as the case of Playa de Palma in Mallorca, the hotel federation has admitted that bookings for the start of the season are not living up to initial forecasts and that fewer hotels have opened as early as planned.

This week, industry chiefs and financial experts warned that the prospects for the tourism industry this year are clouded by high jet fuel prices, global flash points, problems at plane manufacturers and wage disputes.

Ryanair, for example, has issued an alert that flight prices will have to be hiked. So on the face of it, the ingredients make for an interesting mix and the final result could be leave a bitter sweet taste in some mouths.

And just to give the situation some extra spice, the anti-tourism movements in the Canary Islands, the Costa del Sol and the Balearics have sprung back into life on the back of the lack of affordable housing, rise in the cost of living and the general discomfort of having to spend half of the year living with mass overtourism and the strain on natural resources.

There’s a limit to just how much weight a camel’s back can withstand.