More hotels set to close for winter next week

THE weather may be fine, but the Hoteliers' Federation of Majorca is signalling that 45 percent of hotels will be closing next week due to lack of reservations. “The nearer we get to the end of the month, the more closures there will be. On Majorca, there will be some 15 to 20 percent less hotels open out of season than there were last year. It will be the worst low to mid season on record since the Gulf War” confirmed the Federation. The level of bookings for October, according to tour operators and hotels in tourist areas, are at only 40 percent at the moment, almost 15 points less than this time last year. “October looks disastrous, since not even last minute sales are being boosted by special offers advertised by the hotels. The absence of tourists is what is going to hasten the closure of holiday accommodation. Establishments will be closing earlier than forecast to minimise costs” warned the president of the Hoteliers' Federation on Majorca, Pere Cañellas. The gloomy forecast predicted by the hotel sector doesn't tie in with information held by the Spanish Airports Authority, who claim that there will be an increase of 5.42 percent in passenger air traffic over and above the same time last year. Next month, Palma airport is expecting to handle 1'732'138 passengers whilst only 1'643'143 were serviced in 2002. The Hoteliers' Federation added however, that forecasts are one thing, reality is another. “The tour operators reduced contract quotas and many hotels have scrapped their winter programmes. This, together with the way the summer season developed, will mean that many tourist companies will experience loss of income of up to 35 percent, which will affect their overall financial performance”. The Tourist Ministry is expressing concern over the low numbers of tourists visiting the Islands out of season and the correlative drop in hotels which are open during the winter months. The situation has become more accentuated over the last four years, so much so, that the ministry intends to launch a hard-hitting campaign to recover the lost winter season market. It is hoped this will result in the Islands being able to enjoy an all-year round tourist season, a process which was begun in the middle of the 1990s. One of the main factors that stops the number of hotel closures from rising even more steeply, is the mitigating effect of social travel and holidays arranged for pensioners by Imserso, the social welfare department which arranges package deals through Spanish travel agents (such as Viajes Iberia, Viajes Halcón, Viajes Barceló and Viajes Marsans) under the umbrella of a company entitled Mundo Social. This year, 44 hotels on Majorca are collaborating with the programme, four on Minorca and 11 on Ibiza.
These hotels will accommodate parties of pensioners travelling over from the Peninsula to holiday on the Islands.
The number of pensioners and elderly people who will be able to benefit from places allocated to residents of the Islands will be 13'000.
Each person will have to pay 132 euros a week, or 250 euros to cover a fortnight's break away on the Peninsula.
Mundo Social confirms that due to tourist levels being so low for the coming low season, “we have had plenty of enquiries from hotels who until now had not bothered to contact us”. During last winter, hotels along the Playa de Palma, one of Majorca's most important tourist areas, clients ended up paying less per day than visitors who arrived with Imserso programmes. This was due to discounts and last minute offers made to key client sectors, largely from overseas.