Holidaymakers Face Hefty Cancellation Fees In Mallorca

Could your next meal in Mallorca cost you more than you anticipated?

British tourists are being cautioned as restaurants in the beloved Spanish holiday destination introduce steep cancellation fees, according to the Sun, Friday, September 8.

As of recently, one in five dining establishments in the hotspot has begun imposing substantial charges for last-minute cancellations, with more expected to follow. The fees, reaching up to approximately £100 per person, are a response to tourists frequently cancelling their reservations, often made swiftly online.

New Policy Targets No-Shows

All Michelin-starred restaurants on the island are gearing up to enforce this stringent policy, where fines will range from €20 to €120. The initiative aims to curb the trend of tourists making and then breaking multiple reservations, a practice exacerbated by the ease of online booking systems.

Alfonso Robledo, the head of the CAEB restaurant association, voiced his support for the move, stating it would encourage visitors to ‘value the restaurant’s work more, as well as the losses that a last-minute cancellation or no-show they incur be it economic, staffing, or planning a day’. He anticipates other restaurants across the island will soon adopt the same strategy to mitigate losses from no-shows.

Local Businesses Support The Move

Vanessa Pradera, a local restaurant owner, revealed that 257 individuals failed to honour their reservations in July and August, resulting in a loss exceeding £11,000, assuming an average spend of around £35 per person. Reportedly Pradera said that she has encountered numerous creative excuses from tourists cancelling at the eleventh hour, including frequent reports of sudden family deaths and threats of negative online reviews.

Mallorca Reconsiders Tourist Caps

In a turn of events, there is positive news for the island’s admirers. The Mallorcan authorities are rethinking the controversial restrictions on the number of cruise ships permitted to dock at the island, as well as the proposed tourist ‘cap.’ Last year, the Balearic government had decided to limit the daily entry to three large liners to reduce congestion and control the influx of visitors.

Following recent elections and the establishment of a new government, there is a willingness to revisit the decision made in 2015 to potentially allow more than three cruise ships a day to visit Palma’s port.