Palma's mayor, José Hila, said today that he would very much like Palma to seek to consolidate itself as a city tourist destination throughout the whole year and so create stable and worthy employment and make Palma "the Mediterranean's tourism capital".
Hila made these observations during the presentation of a study into Palma's competitiveness that has been developed by GesHotels and Palma 365. This concludes, among other things, that Palma is "in vogue" and that it can count on a high level of loyal customers, 95.5% of whom would return to Palma and 97.6% of whom would recommend the city.
The mayor said that it is valued for its heritage, "one of the best in Europe", as well as for its culture, entertainment, shopping, beaches and gastronomy. In wanting to make Palma the Med's tourism capital, Hila was emphasising not just sun-and-beach tourism but also its appeal as a city destination - "a brand in itself" - and not a complement to Majorca.
It is necessary "to strengthen what is good and remedy that which isn't working", added Hila, who referred to improved air connections that will increase next season, especially those with the UK, as had been assured at last week's World Travel Market.
Carmen Tuleda, director of GesHotels, concluded that Palma "is a destination in its own right" and that the city presents a valid option to be visited all year round. The survey was conducted with 12,414 people over the age of 18 who had travelled in high, medium and low seasons. It found that the market is principally German, followed by Spanish and British, the latter falling to 5% in winter. The British market has, therefore, been identified as one, together with the Belgian and Swiss markets, that needs strengthening.
Tuleda said that differentiated specialisation of markets and segments would help to add strength to Palma's potential for travel outside of the high season, as would improved air connectivity in winter. In her opinion, it was important "to identify the strengths" and to acknowledge that "everything can be improved", as other destinations "will not be sleeping".