On the day that the ABTA convention opens in Magalluf, Calvia, in has been confirmed that bookings to the Balearics increased by 11.6% over the past week compared to the same period last year and by 1.4% compared to the previous week, according to data published on Monday by the Travelgate platform.
The Balearics are the sixth most popular destination in Spain, with 10% of bookings, behind Catalonia (18.3%), Andalusia (17.7%), the Canary Islands (15.1%), the Community of Madrid (11.7%) and the Valencian Community (10.8%). According to data published by the platform, 18.3% of last week’s bookings were made more than 90 days in advance of the holiday. 17% were made between 15 and 30 days in advance.
Last minute bookings, made the day before or on the day of travel, accounted for 13.2%. Of the bookings made during the last week, couples accounted for 51.8% of the total. Also, around half of travellers (50.1%) requested accommodation for between 2 and 5 nights.
In terms of markets of origin, domestic tourism predominates among those who have made reservations in the last seven days through Travelgate: Spaniards accounted for 52.4%, followed by the British (20.3%) and Germans (3.3%). American travellers only account for 3%, but their reservations have increased by 25.1%.
And, as the Bulletin reported last week, between January and August, the United Kingdom was the country with the highest cumulative expenditure (17.9% of the total), followed by Germany (11.6%) and France (9.1%). And, the autonomous communities with the highest cumulative expenditure were Catalonia (18.3% of the total), the Canary Islands (17.6%) and the Balearics (16.8%).
However, this week is going to be complicated for British travellers. Ryanair and other airlines have announced the cancellation of over 600 flights scheduled between October 7 and October 10, due to a planned strike by French air traffic controllers. This industrial action, organized by the SNCTA union, is expected to disrupt travel for over 100,000 passengers, particularly affecting routes from the United Kingdom to destinations such as Spain, Italy, and Greece.