Hoteliers in Mallorca have reported occupancy levels of between 85 and 88% this Easter, the president of the Majorcan Hotel Federation (FEHM), María Frontera, said yesterday.
“In some areas occupancy has been above 88% while in others it was stable at around 85%,” said Frontera, who pointed out that after Easter, as always is the case, there will be “a small drop off” reported.
Frontera said that she was also pleased to not have seen any problems neither at the airport nor in the resorts.
“Now we are seeing a change in some tourist areas, with a drop off in bookings for the next couple of weeks, and then we hope, as always, that it will pick up again,” she added.
Frontera also highlighted that unlike the past two seasons, marked by the pandemic, “early bookings have returned, although not as massively as in 2019.
“But this is encouraging news and we therefore hope to see this continue until October,” she said.
Frontera however warned that the focus must not only be on occupancy levels but also price.
“We are not entering a season like 2019, the situation is completely different - we are facing a sharp rise in inflation and operating costs - but there is a desire to travel in both the domestic and foreign markets.”
Compared to 2019, the trend is positive: “We will not have similar occupancy levels because the rules of the game have changed and the current uncertainty means that we have to be vigilant all the time”.
She stressed that the hotels which have already opened will remain open even if occupancy falls, in a bid to “maintain and create employment”, which will be one of the problems this summer, especially in some tourist areas where some establishments are having difficulties in finding sufficient staff, “especially in areas further away from urban centres where there is a shortage of rental properties.
“In the meantime, the private and public sectors must continue to work closely together and take full advantage of all the opportunities and minimise the risks”, given that safety and health, for example, “are key points for Mallorca”.
Frontera believes that this season hoteliers who have made a great effort to improve what they offer pay off and that the island will begin to see the end of mass tourism.
She said that last year, when the season only lasted four months, Majorcan hoteliers showed how capable they were at responding to any situation.
“We have maintained prices, despite increasing levels of quality, in order to meet demand. We have to always find the right balance,” she said.
“But, we have to fight to achieve a more sustainable, intelligent and resilient tourism industry for our community,” she said added.