Holiday bookings to Mallorca for the Easter period in Britain have risen by 40 percent in the last few weeks as tourists seek "safe haven" destinations away from the war in the Gulf, according to a report by the BBC this morning. Local hoteliers have said that they expected a good Easter with the majority of hotels across the island open for business.
"Bookings to Portugal had risen by 42% over the two weeks to 13 March, according to Thomas Cook. This was the biggest upward shift out of the destinations it covers, followed by the Balearic Islands (40%) and the Canary Islands (16%)," the BBC report said.
Jet2 boss Steve Heapy told Travel Weekly people weren't booking trips to Cyprus and Turkey, and "cancellations are up".
Mallorca is one of the top Easter holiday destinations for British and German tourists and even before the start of the Iran conflict hoteteliers were confident of a good period.
There are fears that the cost of Mallorca holiday could rise as a result of higher oil prices. Also, the local tourist industry is concerned over big rises in the cost of basic essentials.