The Mallorca Hotel Business Federation (FEHM) has launched a campaign aimed at the millions of tourists who visit the Balearics every year to thank them for their loyalty and invite them to return to the islands, as well as to highlight the importance of tourism in the Balearic economy despite criticism. The initiative, which has started with around twenty billboards distributed throughout Mallorca, uses positive and welcoming messages in English and German to reinforce the image of the islands as a welcoming and quality destination, as explained on Monday by the president of the federation, Javier Vich.
This campaign comes after the recent signing of the new hospitality agreement, ‘the best in Spain’ in terms of wages and guarantees for the purchasing power of workers in the sector, as Vich explained in his speech. The aim of this initiative, according to the federation, is to reinforce the narrative of tourism as an economic driver and generator of well-being, in a context of growing social criticism of the Balearic Islands’ tourism model.
‘Every month during the high season, 235,000 salaries are paid in sectors linked to tourism: transport, catering, culture, leisure and hospitality,’ recalled Vich, who stressed that these salaries depend directly on the visitors who choose the Balearic Islands as their holiday destination.
‘We cannot allow a radical minority to damage the work carried out over many years by so many people who have made tourism their way of life,’ said the FEHM representative, referring to recent protests and acts of vandalism against tourist saturation.
This campaign will be completed in the coming days with the distribution of posters and graphic material in the 870 establishments associated with the organisation, as well as the sending of institutional letters to the main international tour operators and media in the source markets.
‘Mallorca has been, is and must continue to be a hospitable land,’ insisted Vich, who also defended the fact that the majority of the Balearic population supports tourism, despite the challenges it poses for the autonomous community.
The president of the employers’ association reiterated that the intention of the campaign is not to deny the problems, but to restore balance in the public debate. ‘There are competing destinations such as Greece, Turkey and the south of France that welcome tourists with a red carpet. We must also be aware of their value,’ he said.
He also warned of a slowdown in bookings for this season, especially in sectors such as restaurants and retail, and said that factors such as geopolitical uncertainty, rising prices and the uncontrolled growth of illegal holiday rentals are affecting the pace of demand. Despite this scenario, Vich argued that the Balearic Islands must continue to commit to responsible, value-added and well-managed tourism.
‘Tourism cannot be the punching bag for all the structural problems of this community,’ he said. Vich acknowledged that there are challenges ahead, such as the housing crisis and the infrastructure deficit, but called for these to be addressed through effective, long-term management, without blaming visitors.
And bookings to the Balearics have increased by 5.9% over the last week compared to the same period last year and by 2.2% compared to the previous week, according to data on bookings to Spain published by the Travelgate platform. The Balearics remain the third most popular destination in Spain over the last seven days, with 15.3% of bookings, after Catalonia (18.9%) and Andalusia (18.4%).
Some 21.9% of this week’s bookings for Spain were made around two months in advance and 17.4% between 15 and 30 days before the trip. Last-minute bookings (made the day before or on the day of travel) accounted for 11.4%. Of the bookings recorded, one in two (50.6%) were made by couples, and half of travellers (51.3%) booked between two and five nights, according to Travelgate.
Domestic tourism predominates among those who have made reservations in the last seven days through Travelgate: Spaniards accounted for 55.6%, followed by the British with 18.3% and Germans with 3.7%.