Rural tourism boom helps farming crisis

PALMA
RURAL tourism in the Balearics is booming with a further 121 inland hotels, agroturismos and rural hotels set to open their doors to tourists shortly.

These will join the 244 already-existing establishments throughout the islands, according to the report “Rural Tourism in the Balearic Islands”, published by the Balearic Ministry for Tourism.

The boom in rural tourism is a godsend for the owners of farms who are trying to offset the crisis in the sector by turning to tourism. The modification of properties to accomodate tourists is currently enjoying great success, both with tourists and entrepreneurs.

The President of the Balearic Islands Agrotourism Association, Ventura Rubi, said that, “if there are no more hotels, it is because at the moment they are waiting for their licences. The process of opening a rural hotel involves waiting for three years”. But this considerable increase in rural accommodation could mean the saturation of the market.

Rubi said he was worried about the possibility that all the hotels which had applied for licences would open shortly. “The Balearic market cannot absorb such supply,” he said.