One of the most important travel markets for the Ibiza took place in London last week, attracting a large amount of trade interest from across the region. Early reports from the World Travel Market (WTM) by a large part of the major players reported brisk bookings for 2011, with numbers up anything between five and 25 per cent depending on who you were talking to. Importantly the majority of hoteliers believe they will not have to offer such large discounts to sell their beds, especially in the early part of the season. Add to this the fact that Easter week falls between the 18th and 24th of April, allowing many more establishments to open their doors from 15th of the month and not having to close again, as often happens when Easter falls at the beginning of the month or in March.
According to the President of the Hoteliers Association, Juanjo Riera, occupancy in 2010 was up on the previous year, but profitability was not much higher, as his members had to offer substantial discounts just to sell their accommodation. However, he did mention that these figures were an improvement on 2009, which he labelled “an absolute disaster”.
The Balearic President, Francesc Antich, who was at WTM for Balearic Day on Wednesday, said he was confident the region would see an increase in tourists next year, driven by the British market. He continued that bookings were already 12 per cent up on this time last year, and would continue to improve throughout the off-season.
As far as the home market was concerned, which enjoyed another very successful year, Riera assured those listening that there were several motives to explain the increase. The crisis, which had encouraged people to holiday nearer to home, the security that they experience when they arrive on the island, and the fact that Ibiza has eclipsed Marbella as the playground for the rich and famous, causing a great deal of media interest, have all contributed to this success.
Meetings have been held with representatives of Jet2.com, the Monarch Group, and Thomas Cook, who are all reported to be negotiating more slots for the coming season; Jet2.com believes that they will be able to sell 13,000 more seats in 2011.
Meanwhile the hoteliers in Formentera maintained their prices during 2010 and did not need to offer discounts to fill their available beds. Pep Mayans, the Tourism Councillor, believes that this is due to various factors, including the attraction of the island and the conservation of the natural surroundings, the cleanliness, in addition to the high standard of accommodation.