All German tour operators cancel package holidays to Balearics in devastating blow to Mallorca tourism

IN a devastating blow to the Mallorca tourism sector, all German tour operators have cancelled package holidays to the Balearic Islands, the DRV German Tourism Association announced on Saturday.
The move comes after the German government issued a warning on Friday against non-essential travel for the whole of Spain, except the Canary Islands, due to an increase in Covid-19 cases.
A statement from the tourism association described it as “normal procedure” for a travel firm to cancel organised trips if a government advices against going to a region due to the pandemic situation.
The cancellations will be announced on a weekly basis, allowing for a monitoring of the situation on the islands and proportionate action.
According to DRV there are currently some 30,000 German package holiday tourists in the Balearics.
Travel firm TUI had already announced it will enable its customers holidaying in Spain to return home early and will allow those due to travel to the country with the company to change their bookings.
Despite Berlin’s decision to include the archipelago in its travel warning on Spain, the Balearic government Tourism, Economic Model and Employment regional minister says all is not completely lost for this year’s tourism season on the islands.
In an interview with regional TV on Saturday, Iago Negueruela said he hoped the Covid-19 situation would improve and that Germany will change the advice on the Balearics.
He also expressed the hope that it would be possible to establish a safe travel corridor with the UK.
“We remain a safe destination”, he insisted.
Negueruela did however admit that “it will be a very atypical season, of opening and closing according to how the main markets are operating in respect to us.”