We have heard lots of talk recently about low season “shoulder month” tourism and, in the case of the UK market, how strong bookings for September and October have been. But it’s a long haul until Easter when the hotel sector, and as a result resorts, begin to come out of hibernation, and I fear it’s going to be a tough winter.
To begin with, airlines have scheduled 1.5% fewer flights in the Balearics this winter while increases of 7.5% are expected in Andalusia and 2.4% in the Canary Islands. In Madrid, growth is 5.6% and in Barcelona, 6.1%.
And, as UK travel industry bosses have been telling me, if the hotels are not open, there will be fewer flights. Obviously, the hoteliers say the opposite; if there are fewer flights, why open? Chicken and egg syndrome.
But away from the dangerous dependence on tourism, the cost of living in certain parts of Mallorca, especially Palma, has spiked so much that domestic expenditure has shrunk and will continue to do so.
I’ve seen a number of shops and eateries around me in central Palma quite literally close overnight recently - not even a closing down sale - and there are few signs of new businesses moving in.
Everyone is feeling the pinch at home and abroad, it’s going to be a long haul.