Going to Mallorca this year will be a third more expensive than in 2022, a Balearic island tourism organization warned, as prices there skyrocket.
Juan Ferrer, chairman of the Palma Beach Quality Offensive, broke the news amid reports that some Spanish holiday destinations are looking to reduce their reliance on British tourists in favor of more upmarket visitors.
“Holidays will be about 33 percent more expensive in 2023 than in the previous year,” Ferrer said, according to the German tabloid Image.
The newspaper said the expected price increase comes despite spending on the popular island destination having roughly doubled over the past three years.
Everything involved in visiting the island – including flights, dining out and accommodation – has become more expensive for tourists since pandemic restrictions were lifted and people were able to travel freely again.
Going to Mallorca this year will be a third more expensive than in 2022, a Balearic island tourism organization warned, as prices there skyrocket. Pictured: Tourists are seen on a beach in Mallorca in 2018 (file photo). The number of tourists in 2023 is expected to be higher than before the pandemic
‘People even notice it when they go shopping. Due to its location on the island, prices in Mallorca are rising even more than on the mainland,” Ferrer told the publication.
When asked if the rising prices will come to an end, Mallorca’s tourism expert was not optimistic. He said prices are expected to continue rising due to a law introduced last year that prohibits hotels from increasing the number of beds.
This was done to curb mass tourism to the island, which is a popular party and beach holiday destination for Britons and other groups from all over Europe.
“This year,” Ferrer said, “it hasn’t had any effect yet.” If the numbers continue on their current trajectory, 2023 could see a record number of tourists on the island.
In January alone, the island’s airport saw 860,000 passengers enter the country – more than in 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic began – and despite the island experiencing extreme weather such as snow in its early months.
Ferrer told Bild he hoped the higher prices of hotels would bring better officers to tourists. More expensive can also mean better quality, he said.
It was reported on Monday that an attempt to turn away ‘budget’ British tourists in search of ‘posh’ holidaymakers is causing misery for residents of Majorca and neighboring Ibiza – who are now forced to live in vans due to rising prices.
Locals in the Balearic Islands said they wondered how they would ‘survive’ and afford to rent or buy properties amid rising prices caused by a shift towards luxury tourists who can afford more expensive properties.
“People are now looking at how to survive,” said Rona Pineda, 32, who shares a two-bedroom apartment with a couple in Majorca. Bloomberg. ‘If you have a normal salary, it is very difficult to find a place to live these days.’
The comments came after Majorca’s director of tourism, Lucia Escribano, stated last year that her industry chiefs are ‘not interested in hosting budget tourists from the UK’ – as the island tries to transform itself from a destination for cheap drinks and beach parties by limiting the number of British tourists.
Escribano recently said she had been misquoted, with tourism bosses in Palma insisting they were looking forward to welcoming a record number of Britons.
Meanwhile, another popular destination – the Canary Island of Lanzarote – has indicated it wants to reduce its dependence on British tourists.
Island president María Dolores Corujo said the authority has no plans to change its mind about its approach amid claims it is already damaging Lanzarote’s image and other islands are struggling.
Everything involved in visiting the island – including flights, dining out and accommodation – has become more expensive for tourists since pandemic restrictions were lifted and people were able to travel freely again. In the photo: Soller Port marina in Mallorca
She has also accused Partido Popular councilors of scaremongering and participating in a “disinformation campaign” against her plans.
“We will continue to promote the debate on the limits of growth, even if they try to silence us with fears of damage to Lanzarote’s image,” she insisted.
Ms Corujo’s comments also came as the director of the UK’s Spanish tourist office insisted the country would not ‘discriminate by type of visitor’.
Manuel Butler told MailOnline that while Spain’s travel industries need to work together to tackle the challenges of mass tourism, the country’s main focus has been on “becoming a more sustainable and competitive tourism destination.”
