No winter blues

It won’t be winter/sun or even new attractions which finally pushes Majorca to its goal of more winter tourists, it will be sport. Yes, cyclists, hikers, runners, tennis players and golfers are all helping to put the island on the map again as a winter destination. More hotels are opening for longer and it is only a question of time before we see a sizeable number being open throughout the year. Times are changing. Some hotels are being transformed into centres for cyclists, others are pushing for golf tourism. Yesterday, I was speaking to one quite major hotelier and he was telling me that he is convinced that the Majorcan winter sports boom will lead to more flights. In fact, he believes that it is just a question of supply and demand. It is interesting to see that the island is finally moving away from just being a bucket and spade destination. Granted this part of the tourism package probably makes up 80 or even 90 per cent of the total but things are changing. The fact that the island is far quieter during the winter months is working in Majorca’s favour, especially when it comes to cyclists. Now, I still believe that the island could do far more to attract more winter tourists. I was pleased to hear that the local ministry for tourism is planning to promote the island at more specialised trade fairs and not just the big few which are aimed exclusively at beach and sea tourism. It will be quite amazing if cycling and other sports actually made Majorca a winter destination again.