The Alcudia and Can Picafort hoteliers association has sounded the alarm that bookings on the island are down on last year, particularly among holidaymakers from Germany
Germans are abandoning a beautiful holiday island beloved by Brits.
Brits and Germans have long been among the biggest forces in European travel, both sharing similar tastes in sunshine resorts on the coast. It seems that our neighbours on the Continent are now growing a little tired of a well-worn holiday classic – Majorca.
The Alcudia and Can Picafort hoteliers association has sounded the alarm that bookings on the island are down on last year, especially among travellers from Germany, their principal markets. Bar and restaurant takings were down by between 15 and 20 percent compared to last year, which is a significant blow for an industry already struggling.
The president of the Association, Pablo Riera-Marsa, said: “We are seeing how the German market, traditionally our number one market, is the one that has slowed down the most. In addition, we are detecting that this season, last-minute bookings are once again becoming more popular, with tourists waiting for special offers and promotions before making their purchase decisions.”
READ MORE: Tourists warning as popular holiday bar ‘charges 100 Euro for a beer’
The travel chief warned that the “Champagne effect” which followed the coronavirus pandemic, when many tourist destinations enjoyed long periods of high demand as pent-up travellers sought holidays following the lockdowns, is now over.
“It is essential to continue to focus on quality, sustainability and differentiation, especially in a context in which the market is once again stabilising and last-minute bookings are becoming increasingly important,” Mr Riera-Marsa added, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported.
Dwindling demand from some markets is not the only issue facing holidaymakers at the moment. Workers in a popular Spanish holiday destination are threatening to strike during the peak season.
READ MORE: 10 medical conditions you must declare to travel insurer when going on holidayREAD MORE: Magaluf hotel pool rules ditched as ‘towel warriors’ cause sunbeds chaos
Hotel bosses in Tenerife are facing a stark threat from union leaders: agree to a pay rise within the next fortnight or brace for strike action in the peak of summer. Hospitality chiefs were hit with an ultimatum last week by the General Union of Workers, the UGT, announcing to employers: “You have 15 days to raise wages or there will be a strike in the summer.”
Sindicalistas de Base, the leading union on the bargaining committee, has warned that failure to reach a deal by June 13 will result in a call to action with strikes during July and August. The unions demanded an unconditional salary hike retroactive to January 2025 as a precondition to discussing the rest of the items.
The impending strikes could be an echo of the walkouts experienced during Easter Thursday and Friday, after protracted negotiations failed to lead to a deal. The rallying cry of the workers is for a 6.5% wage hike – an additional 4.5% atop the 2% already sanctioned by the collective agreement.