National tourism minister Reyes Maroto has warned against alarmism and has said that this year's season will not be "catastrophic". Speaking at the Balearics stand at the Fitur tourism fair in Madrid, the minister stressed that Spain will maintain its tourism leadership in 2019, adding that the government is working on adopting necessary measures in the event of a no-deal Brexit. "We have set out a roadmap and are in constant contact with UK tour operators."
This roadmap includes dealing with controls at airports and ports. "We want to convey a calm image to British tourists that whether there is a deal or no deal, their holidays in the Balearics the rest of the destinations are assured."
Asked about the fact that some hoteliers have been lowering their prices in order to better compete with certain other countries, Maroto observed that it was preferable to compete on quality, with the clear aim of increasing tourist spending and employment, as was the case in 2018.
The minister went on to say that the Balearics are providing an example of how sun-and-beach destinations can be given new value by tourism products which lengthen the season and tackle the negative effects of seasonality. In referring to an allocation in the state budget for modernising mature resorts in the Balearics, Maroto said that the government is committed to the sustainability and added value of resorts and also to employment in these resorts. "This has been demonstrated in the Balearics by the hospitality sector's collective bargaining agreement."
Meanwhile, there were presentations by the government and island councils regarding the tourism strategy of sustainability, and a small group of anti-roads protesters turned up to denounce the building of the Llucmajor-Campos dual carriageway.
