More British tourists are visiting Mallorca outside peak season

Speaking to the media, Frontera said that the outlook for the British market for 2024 is “good” despite the fact that “the client has been changing”.

She confirmed that “in addition to July and August, British tourists are increasingly opting for Mallorca in the months before and after the summer”.

“This is due,” explained the FEHM president, “to the fact that the weather throws up opportunities and difficulties, to which we have to adapt. “And”, she added, “to the impact that culture, nature, outdoor sports, gastronomy and tourism for meetings, incentives, congresses and exhibitions (MICE) are gaining”.

This change, which is also occurring in other markets, has made it possible, according to Frontera, to “consolidate the early opening of hotels for the third consecutive year”.

“Throughout February 2024, 44% of establishments will open - 12 points more than in 2023, with 31.2% of hotels open - and in March, seven out of 10 (74%) will already be open”.

And FEHM forecasts that in the second fortnight of April, 90% of hotels will be operational and 100% in the first fortnight of May.

“This means that Mallorca is consolidating its position as a quality destination far beyond the sun and beach product,” she said.
However, Frontera did not only talk about prospects, but also about the performance of tourism in 2023 and the commitment of the hotel sector in Mallorca to its workers.

On balance, she said that she regrets that “lately too much focus is placed on the effects that tourism causes to the local population. But it is not tourism, it is the uncontrolled growth of tourist rental, which is causing a serious problem of coexistence in cities around the world”.

“Growing economically is important, but more important is how we grow”, stressed Frontera.
She said that “the European Union is working on a regulation to provide a framework for action”, which, she considers, “is a step forward, but by no means a definitive solution”.

“In addition, in parallel,” she said, “control mechanisms must be strengthened” and “tools must be provided by the institutions, in the case of Mallorca, by the Council of Mallorca.
“Mallorca’s hoteliers have done their homework. We are committed to stable, quality employment,” she said.

According to the FEHM, the employment created is “stable” because hoteliers “have been able to reposition themselves. “20% of establishments will remain open from December to January for the second consecutive year, so we are talking about consolidation - in 2022, 19% remained open and in 2023, 20%,” she explained, and recalled that “we must bear in mind that five years ago the figure was 10%, that is, half”.

These 155 hotels are divided between Palma - 73, equivalent to 92 percent; Playa de Palma - 18, equivalent to 17 percent.
The remaining 64 are divided between Capdepera, Colònia de Sant Jordi, Alcudia, Palmanova-Magaluf, Cala Millor, Paguera and Camp de Mar.

Furthermore, the FEHM president stressed that this year the season started in February, with almost a third of hotels open; the figure doubled in March, reaching almost 65% and from April to October - for seven months - 100% of the hotels remained open, and in September and October the occupancy rate was 85%. What’s more, in October the 70% barrier was surpassed for the first time.

Frontera also assured that the employment created is “quality” because “since 2014, the date of the last hotel and catering agreement in the Balearics, there have been two extensions, almost 10 years ago, the wage increases have been almost double those corresponding to the rise in the CPI”.

“A 29.9% wage increase based on the hotel and catering agreement versus a 15.4% increase in the CPI”, detailed the FEHM. Therefore, they emphasised, “the workers attached to the agreement have benefited from increases that have doubled the CPI”.

“We are in a position to recognise the social commitment that has been so much talked about in Mallorca at the beginning of last week at the European Tourism Forum”, defended Frontera, pointing out that “we are growing in value, because we have continued with the reconversion of hotels and repositioned the product.

“Now we hope that the administrations responsible for public services match that with maintenance throughout the year, logically we can speak of a reduction in frequencies, but in no case of their elimination. Services such as cleaning, mobility and security, must continue to function”, she said.