After the slight boom in tourism over Easter, hoteliers were left staring into the abyss as reservations plummeted in the second half of April and May and many decided to shut down until high season.
Whether it’s down to the coronavirus restrictions being eased in the UK or the vaccination programmes going full steam ahead, the future for Balearic tourism definitely looks a lot brighter today.
Occupation will soar to 70% from July, which is when the German and British markets are expected to return to normal, according to the Balearic Tourism Accommodation Sector.
Balearic Tourist Rental Housing Association President, Antoni Barceló is optimistic about the summer season.
“Average occupancy will be 70-80% from July to September, which is very similar to this Easter,” he says.
Hotel Associations in Mallorca agree that the situation in Europe is very volatile at the moment.
“We are waiting to see what Germany decides to do about the temporary regional perimeter closure and whether the UK lifts the ban on foreign travel in mid-May,” they said.
Whatever happens, Hoteliers in Mallorca are forecasting a very positive July.
"We expect to repeat the level of occupation we had at Easter, which ranged from 65%-80%” in Mallorca.
However, Hotel Business Federation of Mallorca President, Maria Frontera is concerned.
“At Easter we had 30% of the air connectivity registered in 2019," she says. "It is the way forward and we hope that this trend will be ratified during the season, because the reactivation of tourism depends on multiple factors."
“It is necessary to maintain the current epidemiological levels to be a safe destination for Europe,” stressed Hotel Chains, FEHM and other tourist accommodation employers in Mallorca.
"Madrid must press for the European Union to catalogue its Traffic Light System by region, not by country, because the Balearics are in a good position compared to other Autonomous Communities and Germany, the UK and other emitting markets must be made aware of this,” said Barceló.
“This differentiation is vital for tourist interests in Mallorca and the other islands, and it will be crucial when Airlines and Tour Operators make decisions about their flight schedules and tourist reservations,” added PIMEM President, Jordi Mora.
Easter
During the Easter holidays, 109 hotels were operational in Mallorca, with an average occupancy of 67%.
18 of the 52 hotels that opened specifically for Easter in Mallorca, have already shut their doors. 56% of the guests were German, 13% were from Mallorca or the other Balearic Islands and the other 31% were other nationalities.
Habitur says “90% of the guests were German, Swiss or Austrian, but domestic tourists were unable to come because of perimeter closures that were decreed in Spain.”
Tour Operators
German and British Tour Operators are waiting for crucial Government decisions on health matters and safe corridors.
Meanwhile, TUI, Alltours, FTI, DER Touristik, Schauinsland, Jet2, TUI UK and EasyJet Holidays have cancelled flights and holidays to the Balearic Islands, but say they’re certain that as soon as the current issues are resolved "Mallorca will be the main holiday destination for Europeans this summer."
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