It would have been rather nice to see British tourists arriving at Majorcan resorts on Monday like their German counterparts. An estimated 10,000 Germans will be coming to the island this week as part of a test scheme and this should herald the start of the summer season with businesses opening in resorts. But while tens of thousands of Germans will be holidaying in the Balearics this summer it is still very uncertain when the first British tourists will arrive.
July 15 is the date which is often mentioned regarding the British but with the threat of Spain introducing a two week quarantine period for British tourists on arrival here and the British quarantine for travellers arriving in the UK, the prospect of British tourists coming to Majorca in big numbers is slim to say the least. Not much point having a weekend getaway in Palma if your two-day stay involves a 30 day quarantine period! Hopefully the British government will see sense and scale back the quarantine period in Britain and the Brits can start travelling. However, no decision is expected until the end of the month. The clock is ticking.
So why are German tourists arriving on the island a month before their British counterparts? Because the coronavirus appears to be under control in both Germany and the Balearics and in Britain it is not. Germany and Spain went into lockdown much before Britain. There is another reason, also. The German market is absolutely vital for Majorca...the British market is important but probably not vital.