Balearic tourism increased in last six months

DURING the first six months of 2006 the Balearics received a total of 4'905'564 tourists, which is an increase of 10.9 percent in comparison with the same period last year. This is thanks mainly to the recovery of the German market, which has increased by 5.4 percent, and to the big rise in Spanish tourism, which rose by a spectacular 43.3 percent. The Balearic Minister for Tourism Joan Flaquer, speaking yesterday, stressed that these figures lend strength to the confidence in the recovery and consolidation of Balearic tourism. He also confirmed the positive development of all the indications of tourism in the region.
The increase in visitors was especially noticeable on Majorca (11.9 percent), Ibiza and Formentera (9.2 percent) but less on Minorca (3.2 percent).
At the same time, Flaquer remarked on the significance of Spanish visitors to the islands, Ibiza and Formentera being the islands which had a higher increase (53.2 percent), followed by Majorca (46.2 percent) and Minorca (13.4 percent). The Minister rated “very positively” the results of the first six months and forecast that this favourable pattern would be maintained or improved upon during the second half of the year. “Today the Balearics is once again becoming a fashionable holiday destination, attractive and with a good image in the rest of the world, which should mean that shortly the tourism sector will be able to increase their profits”, said Flaquer. He said that the recovery in prices for tourism products is the great challenge for the Balearic tourism sector at the moment, and once the recovery of visitors in comparison with earlier years has consolidated this should not be a problem.