Great strides have been made over the past decade to boost Mallorca’s appeal as a destination for alternative attractions and activities away from the traditional foundations of the island’s tourist industry - sun and beach. But a report published this week by the consultancy firm Braintrust warned of the high seasonality of Spanish sun and beach destinations, such as Mallorca and the Balearics, as they account for 69.8% of spending between July and September, far ahead of other types of tourism such as culture, shopping, sport and gastronomy.
Family tourism is far more interested in sun and beach, good weather, especially those coming from Northern Europe and this cannot be ignored by the authorities. I agree there is no need to spend money on promoting the island as a beach destination; it has been famous and lived off that for decades. But while the sports activity sector, for example, has expanded at a remarkable rate, especially cycling, marathons and hiking, they too depend on favourable weather patterns. The water sports industry is very much linked to good weather conditions. This continues to make decentralising the holiday market a challenge. Niche markets may like Mallorca in the low season, but it’s when the sun shines that Mallorca makes its money.