The British Government is not lifting its quarantine rules for travellers from the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands or any other Spanish region, despite pressure from the Spanish government and the European Tourism Industry.
The Foreign Office says the decision was based on the increase in coronavirus outbreaks in Spain in the last two weeks.
Hoteliers in Majorca waited until Monday, August 10, before taking drastic action and closing establishments focused on the British market.
"The situation has turned around and given the sharp fall in British Tourism for the coming dates, we are forced to start the gradual closure of hotels," said a spokesperson for Majorcan Hotel Chains.
FEHM President, Maria Frontera, had predicted that this would happen if the quarantine on the Balearic Islands wasn’t lifted.
Detours
Thousands of tourists who booked holidays in Majorca and the other Islands with Jet2, EasyJet Holidays and TUI UK have been diverted to Greece and Turkey, which are not restricted by the UK.
German tourists are choosing to drive to Croatia and Italy on holiday, instead of going through airport health checks, which is also affecting tourism in the Balearic Islands.
Tourist Incentives
Greece and Turkey are taking all the fiscal and economic measures they can to make destinations more attractive than the Balearic Islands to British and German tourists.
Greece lowered its tourist VAT from 23 to 13% in August, Turkey has devalued the lira by 20% and hoteliers are cutting prices by more than 50%, which has led to an increase in British and German tourists in both countries this month.