At the ITB Berlin fair on Tuesday, the Balearic and Spanish governments indicated that the Balearics could well be in for a record year in terms of tourist numbers, surpassing both 2019 and 2022*.
Rosana Morillo, formerly the Balearic director-general of tourism and now Spain's secretary-of-state for tourism, pointed to information from Spain's overseas tourism offices which "confirms the best forecasts for the islands for this summer". Highlighting the German market specifically, she said that the fair makes clear that this market will be consolidated as the islands' largest source of foreign tourists, which is "very important because of the profitability it offers to the entire productive fabric".
Morillo stressed that indicators other than the number of tourists need to be taken into account, as conservation of the islands is just as important and so therefore "the quality of tourists, improvement in their spending, and sustainability". "This is the strategy that the Balearics and the islands' tourism businesses have opted for."
President Armengol drew attention to the "sweet" moment that the islands are experiencing. "We have gone through difficult years because of the pandemic, but the tourism figures now reflect the efforts of businesses, unions and workers as well as public-private collaboration. Tourism is a generator of wealth and social welfare and the tourism sector is dedicating resources in reducing its impact on the environment in order to remain competitive."
Armengol continued by saying that the tourism season will be strong, thanks to a recovery that has been "dizzying" in all respects and thanks to the "social peace" achieved by labour agreements, such as that for the hospitality industry..
"A long, stable season is expected," she said, "with greater quality and without the peaks of maximum visitor activity".
* For there to be a record year in terms of tourist numbers, 2018 would have to be exceeded - a total of 16,583,654.