Whatever perceptions there may be to the contrary from decades past, the low-season months of January to March and November/December have never contributed particularly significant percentages relative to the annual total numbers of foreign tourists.
The ambition has therefore always existed, and recently there have been renewed efforts to grow the low season. In January this year there was an 8.4% increase in foreign tourists to a total of 139,268; in February an 18% rise to 214,451.
It's not as if there isn't current growth, but if one compares these five low-season months in 2023 with the noughties, one discovers that they are very similar. The percentage of foreign tourists over those five months was 7.3% of the annual total. The actual number was 1,049,833. In 2004 it was 1.02 million; 2005, 1.13 million; as late as 2008, 1.09 million.
The percentages were therefore higher, e.g. 11% in 2004, when there were 9.27 million foreign tourists for the whole year. There came a dip after 2008, as there was with all tourism, because of the financial crisis. In reality, the islands' low-season tourism is only now at a stage of recovery.
For the whole of 2023 there were 14.41 million foreign tourists, over five million more than in 2004. The explosion in tourist numbers, and it's the same for the Spanish market, has been over the other seven months of the year. April and October have been especially dramatic. In April 2003 there were 471,117 foreign tourists; last year there were 1,182,897. In October 2003, the figure was 577,178; in 2023, 1,473,640.
Real growth in the low season continues to be elusive, regardless of what gets said about a lengthening of the overall season. And the director of the Balearic government's Aetib tourism strategy agency, Pere Joan Planes, wonders how realistic it is to grow the low season; significantly, that is, and for now at any rate. But maybe it's better this way.
"Air connectivity is low and so is the number of hotels that are open." This is probably a reflection of a demand that simply doesn't provide more for the five months. If there were the demand, he adds, businesses wouldn't spurn the opportunity. "Perhaps these are months of rest that allow us to improve infrastructure, to carry out work that doesn't coincide with the start of the season. We have to be realistic."
5 comments
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Winter tourists are a different type than summer tourists. Beach resorts are completely disinteresting in winter. What for? And that's why they're closed down. The attraction is golf, cycling, equestrian sports, working in a warmer climate, and general sightseeing. That's not something beach resorts can offer. But to assume that winter tourism is dead because Magaluf is dead... what's the attraction? There isn't any. Hotels closed. Hasta Mayo. Adios. Fin. But everywhere else is open, active, and full of tourists. Oddly, nobody seems to count those. Is it because they're not British?
BerlingoThat's all understandable as long as Melia etc is paying for their 5 months holiday, and not the taxpayers
Zoltan . Thanks for your´s but I have to say I Believe the Mallorcan´s like it the way it is Mallorca is in no way ready or prepared for a Full Time Circular Tourist Situation and the People like to have the Down time especially the Real Mallorca People , Bauhaus is open they work on there houses and have some time with there family´s .
BerlingoPart of the reason is that the hotels know that they can get the government to pay their staff's wages for 5 months of the year. The government should refuse (when it is multi national companies like Meliá). The hotels would open earlier if they had to pay their staff's wages, and not get a hand out from the government ie us, the taxpayers.
Its really not only hotels & Flight´s I have spent alot of time watching this transition every year after November until April and it really allway´s the same a great many restaurant´s close until mid march or April and the one´s that don't are not really Keen when you show up and ask can we get some food flights for sure are less many people who live here also leave to work in the ski resort´s etc . it is what it is and as you have said maybe it´s b better that way .