The Mallorca Hoteliers Federation has blamed the Balearic government for the fact that the German government did not remove the islands from its high-risk rating last Friday. The federation's executive vice-president, María José Aguiló, suggests that Catalonia "has perhaps known how to display its diplomatic skills rather better than the Balearic Islands".
This is because health indicators in Catalonia "do not have marked differences with the Balearics" and yet Catalonia was one of the Spanish regions removed from the high-risk category (quarantine for returning tourists who are not vaccinated).
Aguiló adds that "it is necessary to intensify efforts to continue with the downward curve of the health data". "This should put us in a better position for the next revisions. There is also no doubt that we need to communicate the data very well to those who make the decisions."
The more limitations there are, "the more impediments there also are to tourist activity and to the choice of the holiday destination". "We must work in order to return to a low-risk position. As we have said on several occasions, the season has not been developing as we had expected and the German market is suffering.
"Bookings are slow. They are down compared with the first half of August. Lowering the risk rating for the Balearics would have been a catalyst for reservations in the second half of August."
Tourism minister Iago Negueruela says that the health situation has improved in recent weeks. "This allows us to be optimistic, and we trust that at the next reviews the Balearics will no longer have this rating, which is not affecting reservations - as is being seen."
Aguiló disagrees. "The reality is what it is. Bookings are progressively decreasing."
The German government will review the ratings again this Friday. It is hoped that there will be a change for the Balearics.