The CEO of TUI, Sebastian Ebel, says that the tour operator has reached its "capacity limits" in the Balearics and is looking to other Mediterranean destinations for growth. Less crowded destinations include Egypt and Turkey; Algeria is also under consideration.
TUI accept that there is no room to grow more in terms of the number of holidaymakers, Ebel recognising that there will be another record this summer. The tour operator expects to bring around two million tourists to the Balearics this season, five per cent more than last year.
Obviously aware of the complaints about overcrowding, Ebel believes that the principal reason for these is holiday-let growth. "Putting it bluntly, the main targets of the complaints are Airbnb and similar platforms." Tourist apartments have come to pose "great challenges".
"These are not protests against tourism, but rather protests calling for responsible tourism that is also economically successful for local people."
On the housing problems in the Balearics and the Canaries, Ebel is of the view that the reason for the increase in housing prices is that "many foreigners have bought properties on the islands in order to rent them out to tourists." "Tour packages are not the problem."