Majorca’s Hoteliers Appeal for Airports To Reopen By July To Entice German and British Tourists Who May Choose to Travel to Destinations Other Than Spain

THE president of the Balearic Islands, Francina Armengol, has announced that the parliament is now in contact with Germany and operators like TUI in order to ensure the return of tourism to the islands once airports and ports are reopen, albeit under strict security conditions.

Despite Mallorca being a good contender for progressing to an advanced phase in which hotels and restaurants can reopen, the Association of Hotel Chains in the area has begun to apply pressure on the regional government explaining that they are not in a position to reactivate the tourism sector if they do not have any tourists coming into the islands.

Biel Llobera, the president of this association has contended that most tour operators like TUI continue to sell holiday packages for July in order to boost sales despite the coronavirus crisis. Llobera has explained that having to cancel these would be absolutely “catastrophic” for the overall industry and economic livelihood of the islands who are heavily reliant on tourism.

There is an added fear to the loss of reservations, that once loyal customers will now opt for “safer” destinations who have not had their reputation as tarnished in the media as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Armengol has assured that she will be working “bilaterally with countries who are essential to our tourist economy, like Germany. The objective is to regain activity as soon as possible, this means regaining connective flights,” she highlighted. The regional government hopes to have a plan set in place in the next three weeks.

She contends that the Balearic islands are in need of this tourism boost because they “depend on tourism more than any other territory in the country” and not taking action in this regard would lead the archipelagos into a ruin.