The announcement last Thursday that the British government had kept the Balearic Islands within the amber traffic light and not ‘punished’ the islands for the increase in covid cases, has been positively reflected in the number of bookings from the British market. For instance, Neobookings, the booking engine for accommodation, reports an increase of 7%.
They caution that this increase could even be somewhat higher, as some companies working primarily with the British market do not specify the client’s nationality. Similarly, the Sant Antoni hotel employers’ association estimates that the increase has been 10%, a far cry from the explosive growth recorded by this market at the end of June, when the British government opened borders and allowed its citizens to travel freely .
“Bookings have resumed. Not disproportionately, but there has been growth and they are now stable,” says Juanjo Planells , vice president of the Hotel Association of Sant Antoni and the bay. The increase in cancellations has also stabilised. After a critical moment in mid-July, when cancellations reached up to 52%, now these have reduced to 35%.
“This is the usual level of cancellations that we had before the pandemic,” says Planells, who is also satisfied with the occupancy levels that have been reached during the month of July, above 70%. The hotel association also points out that the recovery of British tourism is taking place despite the drop in the number of younger visitors attracted by the nightclubs: “Not only is it being compensated by family tourism, but by the arrival of domestic customers and those from Germany, France, Italy and Holland.