The President of the Balearic government, Francina Armengol, came out fighting this morning firing a shot across the bows of Greece which is looking to steal a holiday march on the island.
"We will be the top holiday destination in the Mediterranean over the coming months," she said. Greece is preparing to welcome tourists from May 1 and is also looking to take a sizeable share of the British market.
"We have the lowest infection rate in the Mediterranean," she said this morning, underlining that the islands were a safe and secure holiday destination.
Activity will slowly restart, the president said, stressing that "the effect of each step will be checked before taking the next one". As with the whole of Europe, she added, "the vaccination programme on the islands has been accelerating".
Tourism Minister Iago Negueruela stated that the government is working to ensure that the islands are perceived as being safe and a quality destination. He referred to collaboration with island councils, the tourism sector, business in general and unions in defining strategies that will allow a restart of German tourism as soon as possible and with the maximum safety guarantees.
"Only in this way will the Balearic Islands once again be the tourism benchmark they have always been, as we demonstrated last summer when, despite the difficulties, we were the Spanish region which attracted the most foreign tourists in July and August."
The minister assured the German media that "the Balearics are working hard to recover demand as soon as possible". "The islands are a safe destination and our aim is to establish safe corridors with regions of Germany that guarantee the arrival of German tourists this summer."
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Now Armengol is getting ahead of herself, probably because TUI and co are pushing her. Last years lax summer restrictions and reopening lead to months of lock downs , she conveniently forgets to mention. She is not ensuring a controlled and safe re opening, but is allowing herself to be influenced around by the tourism lobby, and Greece. Solution really should be limit the amount of flights and ferries, limit the numbers coming in, and then have a safer continuous opening from mid May onwards instead of a Big Bang and hope for the best no control approach .
1% fully vaccinated is truly a remarkable acceleration! This is tremendous advance over the status last year is going to make difference to the situation?
That woman must have a crystal ball, magic power or she is a witch. How can you say this. There is no evidence for it at all.
No chance of getting Tourist in April or May from UK the UK is not thinking of upcoming holidays for some time later in 2021 you could be lucky to get some Tourist by September so think you to need to rethink your plans
2.25 per cent - that’s the key. Mallorca can be the safest place on the planet- but once tourists start coming in to be greeted by a welcoming but largely unvaccinated population ... game over!
Oh no you won't !! , at least as far as British visitors go, think about perhaps September onwards at the very earliest. Even British property owners in Majorca will not be coming until Majorca and the EU have caught up to the vaccine levels of the UK. So another false hope given to Majorcan residents dependant on tourism for their income, really they should be considering 2022.
It really makes no difference whether La Presidenta, whispers, shouts or enters an arena by parachute, the simple fact is that she and her cohort of misfits have been unable to be strategic or pro-active during the pandemic. For very obvious reasons we need a restart of as many economic sectors as possible. Thats said it is incredibly frustrating that the opportunity has been missed to restart the economy with new ideas, a new strategy and a more inclusive, sustainable plan...as things stand the government is desperate to accept anything and anyone who they think has money to spend and will bend over backwards and do sumersaults if they can keep the likes of TUI and others happy......I professionally predict that in the relatively near future there will be cries of numerous problems that Balearic tourism has declined in quality and is generating less revenue than previously....I told you so is not a nice situation but watch this space!!
Mallorca must stop using Hotels as Tax Collectors. Cancel the Tourist Tax will be a great incentive for any future Tourists