The restaurant sector in Mallorca has sounded the alarm after recording a generalised drop in revenue of around 20% during the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year. According to data provided by the restaurant association Restauración CAEB, the drop in revenue is between 10% and even close to 20% in areas such as Puerto Pollensa and the Playa de Palma, with the exception of some areas such as Portixol and Plaza de España in Palma, which have managed to maintain and even increase their turnover.
The president of the organisation, Juan Miguel Ferrer, has stated that these results are a clear indicator of economic alarm, as ‘the restaurant industry is Mallorca’s leading economic barometer’, the organisation said in a statement. ‘If spending in our sector decreases, it will inevitably affect the entire local economy,’ Ferrer said.
For the association, the general decline in average spending per customer, both domestic and foreign, is particularly striking in view of the macroeconomic data published to date, after the Balearics broke tourist records in the first quarter. ‘In terms of spending, we are not seeing an increase, but quite the opposite, a decrease. We have more people spending less, it seems,’ Ferrer insisted on the spending of visitors in restaurants.
Restauración CAEB has also pointed out that the Portixol and Plaza de España areas in Palma are managing to overcome this situation and are showing notable increases in turnover. In the case of Plaza de España, the association attributes this improvement directly to the impetus and actions taken by the City Council, which, it should be remembered, has been carrying out renovation work since last year.
However, in the rest of Palma and the rest of Mallorca, the situation is negative. ‘Even in areas that historically had very positive figures, this year we are seeing declines of 10% or more,’ said Ferrer.
He therefore called for awareness of this situation and the implementation of measures to reverse this trend. ‘Mallorca cannot afford to see one of its most visible economic drivers start to decline,’ he said.