Ahead of ITB Berlin, the world's largest tourism and travel fair, which starts on Tuesday, Balearic and TUI representatives met on Monday. CEO Sebastian Ebel told tourism minister Iago Negueruela and tourism director-general Isabel Vidal that German demand for holidays in Mallorca this summer is exceeding all forecasts.
Ebel explained that there is a progressive increase in German summer bookings and added that forecasts for the UK are above 2019 figures. The demand for Mallorca in Germany, said Ebel, is at present stronger than that for the UK, which will therefore further consolidate Germany as the largest foreign tourism market.
But UK demand for the whole of the Balearics reflects the fact that UK tourism in Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera is historically far greater than German*.
On Monday evening, a Mallorca "fiesta" was held at the ALICE Rooftop in Berlin. German tour operators and media were invited to an event that highlighted the diversity of tourism products in Mallorca and so the alternatives to traditional sun and beach. Gastronomy was highlighted in particular, four leading chefs having made the trip to Berlin to provide the cuisine.
The president of the Council of Mallorca, Catalina Cladera, said that "Mallorca is standing out more and more for being a top-level, sustainable gastronomic destination that is committed to quality as well as being a holiday place to enjoy all year round due to the wide diversity of tourism products".
* In 2022, there were 4.3 million German tourists in the Balearics, around one million more than UK tourists. Of the 4.3 million, 3.9 million were in Mallorca, which exceeded the UK figure by some 1.8 million. (Figures from the Balearic tourism ministry.)