Following meetings at the World Travel Market, Palma’s delegation has announced that UK tour operators and airlines have pledged to market the city as a winter destination and to increase flights in the off-season.
Mayor José Hila, along with the tourism councillor, Joana María Adrover, the director of Palma 365, Pedro Homar, and the president of Palma’s hoteliers, Javier Vich, have been able to seal certain agreements for the sale of low-season packages and a commitment for marketing Palma and adding flights.
Jet2, as had been announced a couple of weeks ago, reiterated the fact that it will be moving the season forward by some six weeks in starting flights - so an additional 10,000 seats - in February, while Jet2 Holidays will be promoting Palma in its Jet2 City Breaks brochure.
The Palma team also held meetings with directors of Classic Collection Holidays and Kirker Holidays, specialists in tailor-made luxury holidays. It also held discussions with easyJet, easyJet Holidays, British Airways Holidays and Thomas Cook, all of whom have signalled a commitment to marketing Palma and increasing flights in the low season. Hila said that the tour operators and airlines were all receptive and recognised that Palma represents a “good product” for becoming a first-rate city-break destination.
The UK is, after Germany and mainland Spain, Palma’s third most important tourism market. Last year, 16% of tourists who visited the capital in high season were from the UK, but in the low season, this dropped to 5%. For this year, additional flights are being planned for existing routes to Palma from Leeds, Edinburgh and Manchester.