It could still be early days with so many variables in the air, but some sections of the tourist industry claim there are some green shoots - the vaccines, the opening of safe air corridors and mass PCR travel testing schemes to try and get the industry moving again in the short to mid term.
The short term may prove a hard task with the number of cases rising and dipping on a daily basis across Europe and in Majorca’s main markets, but mid term to long term - 2021-2022 - the outlook appears to be slightly more encouraging and a sizable section of the UK holiday and cruise market is going to take a punt and test the market over the Black Friday weekend.
For example, First Choice is kicking off its Black Friday deals early and slashing prices on all package holidays to Spain, the Canary Islands and the Balearics.
The holiday firm currently has 15% off getaways including hot spots in Tenerife, Majorca and Costa del Sol and there were seven-night packages from £219 per person to be found.
And, these deals are valid from March 1 until October 31 next year. With Easter falling early next year, April 4, tour operators and airlines would like to resume operations before the holiday.
There are still many questions which need to be answered, such as the burning issue as to who is going to pay for the PCR tests required to enter Spain and then, how many hotels will be open in Majorca, for example, with the majority of hoteliers currently planning on waiting until Easter at the earliest or even later to avoid the slump between an earlier Easter and the arrival of summer. But, the latest market reports coming out of the UK are encouraging and the cruise industry is also eager to set sail again and is using Black Friday as a platform to try and generate early sales for next year and even 2020.
Cruises have been largely out of bounds this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest reports suggest that cruises could be setting sail as January 2021 with plenty of bargains to be snapped up. Majorca does feature on a number of cruises for next year, but for the time being, Balearic ports remain closed to cruise ships. The Balearic government is in constant talks with the UK with regards to the PCR test scheme due to come into force later this month, although England at least remains in lockdown until December 3, and all sides are keen to get tourism moving again as soon as possible.
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Nobody in there right mind will pay tourist tax and pcr tests which will cost more than the holiday I suggest you sit down and come up with a better idea than this dumb one , Mallorca will remain devoid of any tourists until you do