Isha Sesay
THE Balearic Islands will ask that 3,000 international holidaymakers be permitted to enter the region in June as part of a pilot test for tourism.
President Francina Armengol believes the plan will provide a much needed kickstart for the Balearic economy and establish a ‘safe corridor’ for visitors.
These tourists would largely be made up of German nationals due to ongoing discussions with tour operators in the country such as the TUI Group.
According to Armengol, these operators have provided ‘invaluable support’ to the autonomous government throughout the coronavirus crisis.
The proposal is currently being prepared by the Ministry of Tourism, Mobility and Health and will be submitted to Pedro Sanchez’s central government in the next few days.
Armengol stated that the plan has received ‘overwhelming’ support across the Balearic Islands, gaining the backing of unions such as the Mallorca Hotel Association, the Confederation of Business Associations (CAEB) and the Association of Small and Medium Sized Businesses (PINEM).
It comes after Pedro Sanchez delivered a groundbreaking speech last weekend where he said that foreign tourists could plan their holidays to Spain from July.
This in turn spurred different companies in the sector to propose offers to activate the industry, with TUI, Lufthansa and TAP Air Portugal increasing their routes to Spain over the summer.
Meanwhile, the Balearic Government has made a formal request for all of the islands in the region to enter Phase 3 of the COVID-19 de-escalation plan on Monday.
In aim of reactivating inter-island travel by air and sea, Armengol claims this would be a positive step to first promote regional tourism.
