Optimism over the surge in hotel bookings since borders were opened and the State of Emergency was lifted is slowly ebbing away because hotel reservations in Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera have been steadily falling since last Friday when the Government announced that face masks would be compulsory.
Hoteliers say Tour Operators are constantly asking them for information about the tightening of anti-virus controls, which the Hotel Chain Association claims “has later resulted in the cancellation of up to 50% of bookings," said the Hotel Chain Association.
No consensus
Balearic Hoteliers say they understand that similar measures have been adopted in competing countries "but what cannot be tolerated is the improvisation of the Government and the lack of consensus with businesses and agents. It’s as if they do not care at all about the economic impact of a measure whose compliance is almost impossible to control in leisure areas at night,” say Hoteliers.
Openings
The Hotel Chain Association claims that the number of establishments that were forecast to open in Majorca and the rest of the islands in July "has been distorted by the Government's decision and many companies have already indicated that they won’t open after all, due to the alarming decline in reservations and occupancy levels.”
Several chains are already reducing the number of hotel openings, particularly Palma, according to the Hotel Association chairman, Javier Vich.
"Earlier we gave a positive message that Majorca is a safe destination and now the message that transcends Europe is that something bad is happening in Majorca and they regard us with fear, hence the decline in reserves in the last 48 hours,” says Vich. "As a result of the Pilot Plan in June bookings soared, now there are more cancellations than reservations and the indications are that because of the sudden drop in bookings and the increase in hotel reservation cancellations many hotels that were planning to reopen in August won’t do so after all.”