There is a fear that the tourism industry in the Balearics will suffer something of a repeat of last year. Tourism in 2020 only started to get going in late June. The following month, the UK government effectively closed down its market because of the rising incidence, and other governments acted in August.
Occupancy levels are currently low and indications point to a downward trend in bookings for the coming weeks. The circumstances are of course different this year, as holidays from the UK, for example, won't dry up because of the double-jab exemption. Nevertheless, a season that started with cautious optimism in June is now prompting a rethink. Hotels are, for instance, looking at reallocating guests to other establishments within their groups and closing some.
The most worrying aspect of this is that August is nearing, and the situation was expected to have been much better precisely because of vaccination. This is not proving to be the case, and all of Mallorca's main resort areas are being affected.
Tour operators in different countries are concerned that governments will follow the examples of the UK and the Netherlands in implementing restrictions of some sort. What was an enviable situation a month ago in terms of coronavirus incidence has now become a very difficult one.
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Exemptions here and there and no strict limitations of tourist numbers plus cruise ships etc etc what did everyone expect ? Miracles dont happen ! Vaccination is not a fool proof solution either ! Patience and some restrictions would have been a more prolonged outcome and more controllable! Now and still this government is on covid heading for disaster ! At least Armengol can look forward to a job at Tui or within the hotel federation after she is politically held accountable later this year . The rest of us will have to go back into heavy restrictions !
It's time the tourist industry got real. Try now too protect next years jobs here ,otherwise the same could happen again.
This is a sad, and actually avoidable, state of affairs. Whilst the Balearic government 'panders' to the desires of the large tour operators, has an unrealistic belief/mantra in 'we are a safe destination', and has no inclusive strategic plan for the future, there can and will be no cohesive future. The statements by government are made, almost always, without background knowledge and expertise. Whilst they continue to employ political supporters to key advisory and decision-making positions rather than employing real expertise, this sort of situation will exist...and in parallel and consequentially they give many sectors of business and society the opportunity to formulate quite well-founded criticism of them.