After UK tourists travelling to the Balearic Islands were exempt from quarantine on their return in the last three weeks, from today they are once again obligted to self isolate for ten days. This is not the case for 52% of Britons who have been fully vaccinated however, the sector is waiting to see how these new restrictions will affect the season.
The restrictions on entry into the different EU countries have created an important niche market thanks to travellers who must undergo a Covid test. Paloma Méndez works for the company Salud Villalegre and has just left the Hotel Gran Sol, in Sant Antoni, where she carried out an antigen test on a tourist in his own room.
“We have a lot of work and now they are almost all British, but in June they were German,” says Méndez. The hotel’s receptionist, José, says that occupancy is close to 90% and that half of the clientele is from the UK, while Italians and Spaniards account for 15%.
So far, they have not noticed any significant movement in cancellations of reservations as a result of the Balearic Islands move to amber on the list of tourist destinations, which comes into force today. This measure means Britons who do not have the full vaccination schedule are obligated to spend ten days in quarentine when returning to the UK. The receptionist does warn that forecasts for August are lower than in 2020, by 50%, but blames this drop on the fact that “this year everything is booked at the last minute”.
Tanit Acezat inaugurated last week his ice cream shop. TONI ESCOBAR.
At eleven o’clock in the morning, Toni and his father have just set up the terrace of the bar Támesis, the oldest establishment in the West End with half a century of history. “Out of 59 bars, there are only 10 of us open, which until a fortnight ago, there were five of us at the most”.
Early Return
Toni is resigned to the new limitations on British travel (“we’ll keep fighting”) and has already felt the consequences. “I had three tables of clients, a dozen in total, who were going to leave this Tuesday but returned home early yesterday [Saturday] due to the quarantine. They lost their hotel money, but they didn’t care because they had to get back to work,” he says.
In Carrer de Sant Mateu, one of the main shopping streets in the center of town, scepticism is now returning after high expectations of the recent weeks. “Now that we’ve started up, we’re once again very worried about the amber traffic light, because we’re sure that fewer British people will come,” fears Joan Prats of the souvenir shop Ibiza’s Shop.
“A dozen British customers returned home early on Saturday due to the quarantine”
TONI – OWNER BAR TÁMESIS
Fina Ferrer, from Bodega Texas, has worse predictions. This year she is running the business alone due to the limited opening hours “and the fact that things are very slow” and she has not been able to hire the other shop assistant from the last few seasons. “The way I see it, there may be more restrictions and we will not finish the month of August”, she laments.
In the same street Sant Mateu, at the Hostal Roca they point out that they have optimum occupancy levels thanks to French, Italian and national tourism. Their receptionist, Fina Prats, says that on Saturday they were at 90% occupancy, although on Sunday occupancy dropped to 60%. “We have had some cancellations from the British and Dutch, but this has been happening in recent weeks,” she points out. Despite the uncertainty of the current situation, she also points out that she can enjoy a better quality of life. “The truth is that Sant Antoni now has a better and healthier atmosphere than ever,” he says.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.