Hotel chains in the Balearics are rejecting exclusive contracts from German and British tour operators for the 2016 season, despite being offered millions to accept them. The amounts can reach ten million euros for some hotels, but chains are turning them down as exclusivity limits their marketing ability and potential business volume.
The tour operators want such contracts in order to ensure they have the maximum number of beds available next summer and to also try and avoid mixing nationalities. German tour operators are surprised at the hoteliers' attitude, given that they receive guarantees and that their hotels are marketed through tour operator channels. Commercial directors at some hotel groups say that contracts for 2016 are producing positive situations because the demand from tour operators is leading to increased prices - up to 7% for the British market, for example, or even by as much as 15%. Tour operators believe that 2016 will be very much like this summer, with record numbers of visitors and high levels of occupancy.