For the first time ever, 70% of urban hotels in Palma will be closed until March because of the direct impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the main European tourist source markets.
“At the moment 42 of the 72 urban hotels are open, but the forecast for November is very pessimistic, so around 70% of them will close, compared to a normal year when only 10% would close. We are facing a very complex situation and there are many uncertainties,” said Javier Vich, President of the Hotel Association of Playa de Palma & Cala Mayor.
“The progressive decline in all foreign source markets makes it unfeasible at this juncture to have hotels open,” Vich added. “The closures will be progressive and each company will make the pertinent decision based on how occupancy levels evolve in the first week of September.
Average occupancy for next month is forecast to be around 20%, although there are some places that will be 50% full.
“The situation deteriorates from one day to the next, so it is very difficult to make a realistic forecast because the news coming from the source markets is increasingly negative. The restrictions on visitors coming to Majorca increase week by week,” says Vich.
Boutique Hotels
Palma's boutique hotels are still open thanks to the Spanish, French and Italian tourist markets, but the Hotel Association is forecasting a continuous trickle of closures over the next week "because there is no tourist demand."