"PCR test is more expensive than a flight to Mallorca"

It's not just the price of this test. I was due to fly out on Sun 27th Dec. With boxing day and christmas day there is no chance of getting a test done and results returned prior to travel within the 72hr timeline. Had to cancel trip.

So our government doesn't want tourists either....or are they just stupid?

This policy is both illogical and deeply unwelcoming for international tourists, planning to come to Mallorca. Be warned politicians - put people off coming now and they will go somewhere else this summer. Personally we had three older children who were planning to come for Xmas. It would cost an EXTRA £600 plus now. And that’s if they could actually - logistically - guarantee getting the tests back in time. It’s not going to happen. Madness.

The cost of PCR is hard, but the 72-hour rule from when the test is taken makes is sometimes impossible. Flying and landing on a Monday evening - you have to find PCR test provider in service on evenings and weekends. Christmas/New Year holidays makes it even worse. It should be possible to test on arrival, faster/cheaper Anti-Gen test should provide enough safety. 100% safety is not to be found anywhere in life.

I understand that people travelling to the Canaries only need a PCR test if staying in regulated accommodation I.e.hotels or holiday apartments not privately owned homes. Why can’t the same rules apply to the Balearics? Please correct me if I have got my facts wrong, Why can’t we have NHS tests there are plenty of testing centres throughout England many empty a lot of the time. As Tax payer I believe we should have access to these facilities.

My wife and I can’t wait to be able to return to our apartment in Puerto Pollensa but the cost of PCR tests, the uncertainty around travel insurance and the need to pay for another test after returning to the UK if we want to avoid a 14 day quarantine makes the trip impossible. The news about vaccines is very encouraging however so we hope that proof of vaccination will eventually lead to the PCR requirements being dropped.

Dear Sir, there is absolutely no logic whatsoever in the Spanish test requirements for international travel. PCR-tests are required for entry but if you fail to have one the airport authorities use the much more cost efficient Anti Gen-test. Obviously there is a penalty for arriving without a current PCR-test but…. why is an Anti Gen-test viewed as being sufficiently safe for entry if you arrive without a valid PCR-test? An Anti Gen-test taken prior to arrival with the same 72-hour deadline would provide a much more cost efficient alternative for travelers and at the same complying with the logic applied by the Spanish Government. The current PCR requirement is highly illogical and outright stupid; it is putting yet another burden to the already struggling tourist economy in Spain and specifically for us Mallorca. Olle Bjoerk, Es Camp de Mar

Surely, if you want people to come to your home you make the experience enjoyable as otherwise they will turn down the invitation. Need any more be said.

It's not just the cost, but the difficulty in getting them and being sure that you've met the 72 hour before arrival rule. That makes for some tight postal deadlines and if the testing company take longer than 24 hours to process (not many guarantee this) then you could be left without a test. If they accepted Antigen testing, then some airports are ready to do this, so you could just test at the airport before departure. It'd be far easier (and cheaper).