Jet2, TUI Fly, EasyJet and British Airways say reservations for package tours and trips have increased by 60% in the UK in the last 48 hours and Mallorca, Ibiza and Minorca are amongst the most sought after destinations.
“The quarantine requirements for British residents returning from ‘Amber’ list countries will be lifted from July 19 and that has had a very positive effect, mainly because it guarantees travel to the Balearic Islands,” said a spokesperson.
British Airways has revealed that just hours after the announcement online searches increased by 96% compared to the previous day and that most searches were for Barbados, Palma, Ibiza, New York, Antigua, Malta and Malaga.
The UK Travel Agents Association, or ABTA, has warned that demand for package tours could drive up prices.
EasyJet says reservations for travel to ‘Amber’ category countries went up 400% and holiday bookings by more than 440% in the hours after the announcement, compared to the previous week.
Airlines are scrambling to meet demand and more than 145,000 additional seats have already been added to the schedule and 65,472 of them are for Spain.
Hoteliers in Mallorca, Minorca and Ibiza-Formentera that operate with the British market have welcomed the increase in reservations and are crossing their fingers that forecasts from Jet2, EasyJet and TUI UK will be fulfilled.
“At the moment everything is in limbo and waiting for the reactivation of the UK market,” they said.
“The level of uncertainty this season exceeds all our forecasts because the news changes from one day to the next, but it is very positive that British tourists can come without any problems if they’ve been fully vaccinated in the UK and won’t have to quarantine when they return home from the Balearic Islands,” said business owners in Mallorca.
The lifting of the UK's quarantine for British travellers returning from the Balearics also means that airlines won’t have to reschedule flights from the UK to the Islands if they revert to the ‘Amber’ list.