The president of the Habtur association of holiday rentals in the Balearics, Toni Barceló, says that 50% of holiday homes have so far been booked for this summer.
However, he adds that the situation is volatile and that these reservations are coming with the option of free cancellation. Many bookings, he notes, are made at the last minute because of the uncertainties brought about by Covid. In fact, many travellers have to wait to have the negative result of a PCR, an essential requirement for coming to Mallorca and the Balearics, in order to formalise reservations.
This is one reason why bookings are currently well down on what they were at this time in 2019, when they were running at 90%. As for the current month, occupancy is between 40 and 50 per cent, with many bookings being last minute. Barceló is nevertheless confident that occupancy will be up to 70-80% this summer. Before the health crisis it was 100%.
Most reservations are being made by German holidaymakers. There are fewer bookings for parts of Mallorca that are traditionally popular with the British, such as Pollensa. Prices, Barceló notes, are similar to those before the pandemic.