Ben Pawlowski
GERMAN tourists have famously long loved the sun, sea and sand of Mallorca – but it may be time to say ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ as new figures have revealed that the nation’s travellers are holidaying elsewhere.
According to booking numbers from TUI, the German travel operator, holidaymakers searching for some autumnal sunshine are ditching the Balearics in favour of a popular resort in Turkey.
Antalya, situated in the heart of the Turkish Riviera, has surged in popularity amongst tourists thanks to its warm temperatures and low prices, according to Stefan Baumert, CEO of TUI’s German division.
“The warm temperatures and excellent value for money have made Turkey an especially attractive destination for families”, he said, adding that Antalya was the most popular destination for bookings amongst customers this autumn.
The region has even surpassed Mallorca, which attracts millions of Germans to its shores each summer.
Elsewhere, the two Greek islands of Crete and Kos are third and fourth for the number of bookings, whilst operators have noticed a resurgence in Germans heading for the Egyptian resort of Hurgada.
Mallorca has been the epicentre for a wave of anti-tourism protests which have shaken Spain and dented visitors’ confidence.
Many locals believe they are being priced out of their neighbourhoods with housing stock prioritised for second or holiday homes instead of affordable accommodation for residents and workers. In 2022, housing prices on the island rose by over 20%.
In May, thousands of Mallorcans took to the streets of Palma under the banner ‘Mallorca is not for sale’ as protestors criticised Airbnbs, hotels, tourist lets and holiday homes for driving up housing prices and forcing locals to share flats, move in with family or even sleep in their own cars.
The issue was laid bare by figures recently published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) which showed up to one in three homes in the Balearics are empty for all or most of the year, despite the housing crisis.
