Some hotels in Majorca say they will not be opening until June this year because the coronavirus has decimated bookings and according to the Hotel Chain Association, or ACH and the Employers’ Association, FEHM, the forecast for the next two months is dire.
“There are more cancellations than reservations and that will continue for the next five or six weeks due to the coronavirus crisis. This has forced us to regroup tourists and not open establishments with less than 30% occupation, which will also affect the employment contracts and the economic viability of the companies,” they said.
The President of ACH, Gabriel Llobera said on Tuesday that some of its guests may have to be moved to other hotels.
“Each company will take appropriate measures according to its own levels of reservations, but there are hotels that will postpone their opening to the maximum due to the fall of the issuing markets and there will also be deviations from half-empty hotels to ones with better occupancy.”
Tour operators in the UK, Germany, Scandinavia and other European countries say they have no idea how to turn the tide of cancellations.
“The low sales levels are unlikely to change in the next two weeks, so the Balearic Islands and other holiday destinations will be affected at Easter. What happened to Italy doesn’t help because it opens the way for other countries to follow the same restrictions and close their borders,” said Executives of German and British Tourist Groups.
The areas of Majorca most affected by the reservation cancellations are Platja de Palma, Palmanova-Magaluf, Capdepera, Cala Millor, Cala d'Or, Alcudia-Can Picafort, Santa Margalida, Soller and Pollensa.
Hoteliers in the east of the island are also concerned that the damage from Storm Gloria may not be rectified in time for the start of the season.
“Our coronavirus is not having sand on the beaches from here to summer,” they said.
Hoteliers claim there’s another reason the tourists are not booking holidays in Majorca.
“Insurance companies do not cover cancellations due to epidemics, hence tourists do not want to risk having to bear the costs without compensation,” they said.
The Hotel industry is not the only sector that’s suffering in Majorca, the Transport Sector and Car Rental industry have also been devastated by an avalanche of cancellations.
The European Transport Commission has decided to authorise airlines to cancel their request for ‘slots’ for the summer season without penalty, because of the Covid-19 crisis.
Airlines will now be able to reschedule the frequency of their flights to Balearic airports according to how many seats have been reserved, so a massive cancellations of ‘slots’ is likely from all the issuing markets.
Without the authorisation of Brussels, airlines that didn’t fulfil their planned flight schedules would have been penalised with fewer flights in the summer of 2121.