I talk to destinations around the world as you can imagine, but Mallorca is an old convention friend, we’ve been there every decade and I was talking to Mallorcans about the Calvia region and we like to take people somewhere either they don’t know or they may think they know but things are actually changing. And I think what we’ve heard from Calvia is definitely in the second category. For people who think that they might know that area, if you see the new properties that have been developed and that are coming and the changes that are going on there, it’s a good time to return. And I know that the Mallorcans are a very good team and they’ll do a great event so it’s a combination of the destination, the changes in the destination and the willingness of the team on the ground.
Is that one of the reasons why you have chosen Calvia this time around as opposed to your more traditional destination of Palma?
Yes it is. It’s an area I know well. Obviously lots of Brits go there - Magalluf has been a top destination for many years - but I think the more broader region of Calvia and the changes that they are making is worth showing to the UK industry so we’re really excited to come and to either introduce or reintroduce people to the area.
ABTA coming back to Mallorca is going to give the island’s image a big boost in the UK market next year and looking ahead into 2026?
Yes, I hope so, that’s the way we it. The dates of the convention itself, it’s a year round relationship between ABTA and Calvia and Mallorca and whether it’s a World Travel Market or any other sort of opportunities to promote why we’re going to Calvia to see what’s happening in Calvia, that’s whast we’ll be doing and of course for the industry leaders to experience it first hand is also very important. You can read about and you can hear about it but it’s when you are there and you see it in reality then you think ‘wow this is really impressive’ so I think what is happening there is really exciting and I’m really honoured and pleased that we’re going to be able to have the convention there and the timing in perfect.
Why do you think British has had this long standing love affair with Mallorca?
It’s accessible, which I know doesn’t sound like the most important thing, but it is accessible and for a lot of destinations connectivity is a really important part - you can have a great offering but if you have not got the flights going in and out from different parts of the UK, then that doesn’t help and there is very good connectivity to Mallorca, because of all the history and don’t underestimate that . But it is the climate plus also the hospitality and the ease of having your holiday there, You can get there, you can be into your holidays there, you are safe, you can relax really really quickly and those are the elements that people really appreciate.
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