Isha Sesay
THIS weekend, the Balearic Islands welcomed thousands of German tourists to the region.
Despite the German government advising against all non-essential travel, its removal of the Balearics from their list of ‘at risk areas’ caused an avalanche of bookings to the archipelago.
This in turn led to airlines increasing their offer exponentially where in the coming weeks, TUI expects to schedule more than 300 return flights between Germany and the Balearic Islands.
Meanwhile, Ryanair has added 200 more flights and Eurowings has scheduled another 300 connections.
Large travel groups have also increased their offer at hotels with the Balearic Hotel Chain Association reporting that in Mallorca alone, there are now more than 300 new reservations made each day for the Easter break.
Although German tourists must present a negative PCR to be granted entry into the region, the Balearic government has asked all holidaymakers to respect the current coronavirus restrictions in place.
These include limiting social interactions between those that do not live together and in Ibiza and Mallorca, closing bars and restaurants at 5pm with a 10pm curfew for all citizens.
Probed on the matter at a press conference today, Balearic spokesman and Tourism Minister, Iago Negueruela, revealed that the government was ‘not in favour of the arrival of tourists at Easter’, instead wanting to focus their efforts to ensure there was a summer season.
He said: “Easter was not a priority for us, but mobility is dependent on the Spanish and German government.”
Negueruela also expressed his concerns about a possible rebound in COVID-19 infections and a growth in the British variant which now accounts for 76% of cases in the region.
READ MORE:
- Must read: Updated COVID-19 restrictions for Spain’s Mallorca
- Spain’s Balearic Islands warn tourists to respect COVID-19 restrictions
