HOTELS SHOW BEST RESULTS IN FIVE YEARS

MAJORCAN hotels were 94.9 percent full on average last month, the best showing in the last five years (since 1999, when they were 97 percent full) and 2.5 percent more than August 2003, according to figures released yesterday by the hotel federation. Can Picafort (98.4 percent), Alcudia, Peguera and Playas de Muro (more than 97 percent) were the resorts which fared best, although the entire island, except for Palma itself, had an occupancy rate of more than 93 percent. Hotels in the city of Palma itself were only 74 percent full. The federation said yesterday that September has started off with higher occupancy levels than the same month last year.
The hotels in Majorca fared slightly better in August than those in the rest of the Balearics, where occupancy was 93 percent, five points more than the same month last year. Ibiza seems to have lost some of its popularity, as hotels were only 89 percent full, 3.9 points below August Last year. But figures for Formentera were up by five percentage points to 97 percent. In Minorca, hotels were 95.6 percent full.
The most popular areas were the north of Majorca and south west of Minorca, where bookings were more than 97 percent, and the least popular areas were the Tramuntana mountain range in Majorca and the east coast of Ibiza (84 percent). Hotels in the Balearics were the third busiest in Spain, after Barcelona and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, where they were 95 percent full, a similar percentage to last year. The hoteliers' federation said that the 94.9 percent occupancy was the highest rate in the past five years, and marks an upward trend after August 2002, when hotels were only 89.7 percent, which improved slightly last year to 92.4 percent. Some resorts fared considerably better than two years ago. For example, hotels in Porto Colom were 94.03 percent full compared to 84.57 percent two years ago. In Capdepera, occupancy rose from 87.71 to 96.3 percent, while in the Playa de Palma/Can Pastilla area, hotels were 94.3 percent full last month, three points more than in August 2003 and six points more than in 2002. Cala d'Or was the only resort where occupancy rates went down, as the hotels were 93.4 percent full, one percentage point less than August last year.
In other areas, rates were as follows: Cala Millor, 96.1 percent full; Colonia de Sant Jordi, 93.8 percent; Palma Nova/Magalluf, 95.9 percent; Pollensa, 96.3 percent; and Santa Ponsa, 95.9 percent full.