The tourism industry in Majorca and the Balearics has been experiencing one of its most positive months of May for many years, and this final weekend of the month is giving rise to tourism numbers more commonly associated with the start of July.
The airports authority Aena predicted that today there will have been a record number of passengers for a Saturday, with some 158,000 in all and over 900 flights. These figures are up on the same period last year and are not far off what has been registered in July in the past.
The increased number of visitors, probably added to this weekend because of half-term in parts of Britain, is said to be benefiting all sectors of the industry. The president of Majorca Restaurants Association, Alfonso Robledo, says that bars and restaurants have taken on 14% more staff because of demand. The transport sector suggests that level of activity this weekend is on a par with July and is well above this time last year.
As for the hotels, occupancy is reported as being at an average of 78%, six points above last year. In some resorts, however, there is some 90% occupancy, e.g. in Paguera and Cala Moreia. In Alcudia it is up at 82%, whereas in recent years the resort has been one of the later ones to really get going.