The Fitur tourism fair has been taking place in Madrid. It is an important gathering of the Spanish tourist industry and there was special concern this year about the state of the German market market. You can safely say that if Germany sneezes, Majorca catches a cold because the market is key to the island. About three million German tourists come to the island every year, almost half a million more than the second-placed market, Britain.
So are the German falling out of love with Majorca? I sincerely doubt it, but of course other cheaper holiday destinations in Turkey and North Africa are now becoming increasingly popular. There have also been reports that hotels will not be opening on the island until May causing further shockwaves within the industry. Fears over a drop in the number of British tourists because of Brexit have eased but there is now a worry about the state of the German market as mentioned and the Scandinavian market. It will also be interesting to see whether the booze ban which has been introduced to curb bad behaviour in the Playa de Palma and Magalluf will have any impact on bookings.
These are worrying times for the tourist industry and the record-breaking holiday seasons of a few years ago have just become a distant memory. I am sure that everything will be alright on the night, as they say, but at the moment the principal industry on the island has problems and they could be severe.