The British travel industry appears to have been impressed by the efforts which are being made to improve and remodel Magalluf and alsp by the high-class market Ibiza is catering for.
The Association of British Travel Agents, ABTA, has just published its Travel Trends 2016 report and not only does it state that the western Mediterranean, in particular Spain, can look forward to a good 2016, it also draws attention to the work being carried out in Magalluf to improve its image and the quality of services provided to its clients, while highlighting the fact that Ibiza is very much in vogue, catering for the very top end of a fashionable and demanding market.
ABTA states that western Med destinations, in particular Spain, are set for a bumper year, with bookings for summer 2016 tracking ahead of previous years as 2015 comes to a close. These destinations have been the main beneficiaries of a shift towards tried and trusted destinations, with the combination of geopolitical uncertainty and a favourable exchange rate with the Euro prompting British holidaymakers to visit their old favourites in even greater numbers.
Whilst the western Mediterranean has never fallen out of style and has consistently high visitor numbers, it enjoyed an especially strong summer during 2015, perhaps in part due to extra capacity being put on by tour operators following changes in trade advice to destinations. This capacity remains in place for 2016. And in the section entitled “Destination transformation and gentrification”, ABTA goes on to state that, perhaps inspired by past successful transformations of Miami’s South Beach and Barcelona, destinations are repositioning themselves in order to attract specific markets, and this is expected to be a key trend for 2016.
A high profile example of this trend is Magalluf. In 2015 it introduced new laws and worked with hotel groups to open hotels aimed at a more affluent and more family-oriented market.