At a presentation at the Palacio de Congresos in Palma on Thursday, tourism industry leaders reiterated a demand for an acceleration of the mass vaccination of the Balearic population. In addition, there was support for digital vaccine certificates and safe travel corridors between the main tourism markets, e.g. the UK, and the Balearics.
Among those attending the presentation were the CEOs of Meliá and Riu, Gabriel Escarrer and Carmen Riu, and the president of Iberostar, Miguel Fluxá, as well as the president of the Mallorca Hoteliers Federation, Maria Frontera.
The Balearic tourism minister, Iago Negueruela, was also present. He stressed the importance of getting things right as hotels open to tourists. In this regard, he emphasised that last year there were practically no cases of Covid in hotels on the islands. The protocols that were in place last year "worked". "We told the world we were a safe destination, and we will be again. We will continue to be the main destination in the Mediterranean in terms of security."
It was essential, the minister added, to restart tourism in the Balearics as soon as possible. The government, he said, is working on reactivation in a "safe, responsible and sustainable way" and therefore position the islands as benchmark destinations.
"We are all clear as to the importance of tourism for the GDP of the Balearics and of the employment that tourism generates." The vast majority of society understands the "significance it has for the Balearic economic model". Reactivation of tourism will drive the rest of business, whether tourism-related or not, towards economic revival. "These are difficult days, with positive and negative news. But we see how, amidst this uncertainty, we have to give certain guarantees."
The reactivation depends on there being a slow de-esclation process. "We must have a season, and so all efforts need to be directed at starting the machine."
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The cases are going up again, so yes unless majority of the people are vaccinated, we will take one step forward and two backward and this is something which the tourism industry is focusing on (wise!). Balearic and Canaries could have been given priority due to small population and the total reliance on tourism but sadly that is not what going to happen. Many of us cannot wait to visit but 1) we have to be safe and vaccinated, 2) the destination has to be safe .