The increase in the tourist tax does not appear to be deterring 2018 holiday bookings for Majorca. German and British reservations for next year are said to be brisk and motivated by cold winter north European weather, persisting concerns about safety and security in other destinations and early booking incentives.
Hoteliers on the island and the travel agents associations in Germany and the UK - DRV and Abta - agree that there is something of an early boom in sales, especially for the early summer season: May and June occupancy rates are already described as looking good.
To an extent, these sales are being driven by smaller hotel chains offering early booking discounts. These are partly because of a degree of uncertainty as to what might be the situation in high summer when competing destinations are expected to erode some demand for the Balearics.
Both DRV and Abta are predicting that the 2018 season (high summer at any rate) will produce slightly lower numbers of tourists than in 2017. However, because of increased prices for high summer, profits will be up.
Another factor which may benefit Majorca and the Balearics is the introduction of the tourist tax in Greece next year. The rate there is not dissimilar to the tax in the Balearics.
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The article is referring to hotel bookings. Why no mention of the fact that most owners of private holiday rental properties are unable to advertise this year under threat of large fines? The removal or suppression of this large part of the Majorca holiday market will inevitably have an adverse affect on total bookings. It will also disproportionately affect all the taxis, bars, restaurants and shops which these tourists use, unlike many of the hotel guests who never step outside their hotel grounds.