On Friday, the United Airlines service from New York-Newark to Palma will restart. A week earlier than in 2022, flights are available until September 27. In all, the schedule has been extended by three weeks, while the number of seats over the period has been increased by some 2,000 to 14,000; there are three flights a week rather than the two last summer.
The United service clearly isn't the only supplier of North American tourists, but in the view of the city's hoteliers it is having a beneficial impact in contributing to reservations for upmarket, boutique hotels. The president of the Palma-Cala Major hoteliers association, Javier Vich, says that many of these hotels are fully booked and that this is thanks to visitors from North America. For some hotels, he adds, North America has become the main supplier market.
Top restaurants in the city are also said to be benefiting, Vich noting that Michelin-starred restaurants in particular have been taking bookings from North American tourists, "which gives an indication of the spending power of this market".
The Council of Mallorca's tourism councillor, Andreu Serra, explains that the United hub at Newark allows the airline to bring US tourists from New York and nearby states as well as Canadian tourists from the Toronto area. Promotional work that the Council and Palma's 365 Tourism Foundation have undertaken with United and Spain's tourism offices has meant that "all forecasts have been exceeded".