Hotels

140 hotels will have closed by the end of this week

Governments' travel decisions have meant hotels having to close | Photo: Laura Becerra

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma26/08/2020 15:48

Maria Frontera, the president of the Majorca Hoteliers Federation, said on Wednesday that "we are currently experiencing the progressive closure of establishments, depending on which area has been most affected by which markets". She stated that 144 hotels will have closed by the end of this week.

These 144 hotels represent 36% of the number which have opened*. Their closure has been motivated by travel decisions taken by the governments for the two main foreign markets - Germany and the UK - as well as by other governments.

Most tour operators, Frontera observed, have suspended operations until the first week or middle of September. It will be "decisive" to see what happens next month. Despite the current situation, Frontera expressed hope that the health data will "progressively change to positive and we can still have some reactivation of tourism activity in the final weeks of September".

Gabriel Llobera of the ACH Association of Hotel Chains regretted the fact that after "enormous financial effort", more than 140 hotels are having to close in August, having not even had two full months of the season. Now, more than ever, he insisted, "it is necessary for governments to protect companies and remove tax burdens, given the difficult situation we are faced with". He added that ERTE must be extended and must be with "maximum protection".

* In Majorca, there are almost 1,800 establishments of varying kinds. Of those classified simply as hotels (the H classification), there are 632 in Majorca. (Balearic tourism ministry figures 2019.)