Hotels to exceed occupancy levels forecast for August

With regard to September, the outlook is also good, with a tendency towards last-minute bookings.

ASHOME attributes the good results mainly to agreements that the Island Council and the association made at the beginning of the year with the major British and German tour operators to promote tourism in Menorca, a strategy which will cost nine million euros over the period 2010-2012. The travel companies' main undertaking was not only to maintain the number of places on offer in Menorca but also to increase them, by 130,000 in the case of British tourists and 40,000 for the Germans. In return, the hoteliers undertook to modernise their establishments, ask more competitive prices and introduce new services to increase customer satisfaction.

Other factors which have helped to keep the tourist trade afloat this year have been the improved pound sterling to euro exchange rate, which has encouraged the British holidaymaker, and Estrella Damm's TV advertisement, filmed in Menorca during the spring, which has attracted the interest of the Spanish tourist.

This latter market has been the saviour of businesses in the port of Maó, together with tourists from France, Poland, Sweden and Norway, with the Port's business association reporting a good level of sales for the season, although concentrated mainly during a brief 20-day period. The fact that the majority of the customers have been Spanish has prompted the association to call on the Island Council to increase the number of flights between Menorca and the mainland.

Busy period for airport

The last five days of August have been busy ones for the airport with 746 flights and 108,344 passengers arriving or departing, an increase over last year's figures of 696 flights and 103,972 travellers. In fact, the number of people passing through the airport during this period is greater than the island's population in winter.

Tourists spending more

Foreigners on holiday in the Balearic Islands spent 12.5% more this July than they did last year. Not only did they extend the length of their stay but they also spent more on a daily basis: 130.60 euros in Mallorca; 110.90 euros here; and 146.80 euros in Ibiza and Formentera.