Lack of flights hitting rural tourism.

Lack of flights hitting rural tourism. | E. BALLESTERO

Humphrey Carter04/08/2015 00:00
TW
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Rural tourism in Majorca is enjoying its best summer for the past three years, but this cannot disguise the fact that optimal levels of occupancy and of profit are only achievable from May to September.
Between October and April, says Miquel Artigues, the president of the Balearic Agrotourism Association, 98% of establishments were closed.

This mirrors the situation in the five previous years, attributable, he maintains, to the lack of flights in the off-season.
“It is not that we want to close, as we are prepared to stay open all year, but the lack of flights is a serious problem. To this has to be added the cost of flights to Majorca from anywhere in winter.
“If the number of flights increased and the demand grew, then the island would have the accommodation available to tackle seasonality.”

As for the current high season, Artigues says that occupancy is good, but this has coincided with a freezing of prices in order to boost sales.