Balearic capital gears up for tourists coming back
Palma in Mallorca is preparing for the return of international visitors this summer with 95 per cent of its hotels set to reopen by the end of June
The capital of the Balearic island Mallorca – Palma – has declared itself open and ready to welcome travellers again. According to officials in the city, Germany and the Netherlands are ‘leading the demand’, with the majority of European tourists to Palma currently coming from these two countries.
Spain, however, remains an ‘amber’ destination for the UK – another of the country’s important source markets for tourism. Under the UK government’s traffic light system for travel, amber destinations require PCR testing and a quarantine period; although earlier this week, Spain reopened to UK arrivals without a Covid test requirement.
Still, people are hopeful that the Balearics will soon be placed on the UK’s green list, following the next review in June, as UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed that the government is looking at introducing a new ‘islands’ policy that will allow islands and island groups to have their Covid status judged independently of the mainland they belong to.
Government to pay for repatriation costs
Palma Hotel Association said 45 hotels are currently open in the city, with 67 set to be operating again by the end of next month. The city’s La Seu Cathedral has also restarted its guided rooftop visits, while VisitPalma has revamped its website to include a range of recommended destination experiences.