Easter always marks the start of the holiday season on Mallorca. Since the festival is already at the end of March this time, there could be a gap before the party tourists replace the Easter vacationers.
The fact that the Easter Bunny has to work so early in the year in 2024 is disrupting the rhythm in Mallorca. “At the end of March, people are more likely to think about mountains and skiing than about the beach,” says Pedro Marín. He is the president of the hoteliers’ association on Playa de Palma and is worried about the consequences of the early holiday dates.
“The occupancy rate of the hotels during the holidays is 60 to 70 percent, as in the previous year,” says Marín. That’s good though. The hotel chains are ramping up operations for this. But before the hustle and bustle of the peak travel season begins, the association president fears there will be a big hole. “Booking numbers drop in the 15 days after Easter. Then occupancy is only 40 to 50 percent.” One of the problems: Once the staff has been hired, they cannot simply be sent away again, regardless of the lower workload.
But it’s not just the hoteliers who are currently worried, there are also problems for holidaymakers. After the recent strikes with delays and cancellations at German airports, Palmas Airport is currently in crisis. What’s really going on is unclear. It was only at the weekend that, according to media reports, there was an unannounced go-slow by employees of a company responsible for checking the entrance to the gates.
Long queues at Mallorca airport
The airport operator did not want to officially confirm anything and the company even denied the reports. But an employee of the security company told the “Diario de Mallorca” that they did not agree with the working conditions. That’s why we work “particularly conscientiously”. This led to delays.
Passengers sometimes waited in line at security for an hour. Some people missed their flights as a result. The airline Ryanair is now sending emails to Mallorca holidaymakers asking passengers to arrive at the airport three hours before departure and to go to security checks immediately.
It is unclear whether there will be further delays in the coming days. “It’s a stress factor,” says Cologne student Barbara, who is on a week’s island vacation with her boyfriend. “However, I travel a lot by train back home and am therefore used to strikes.” She treats herself to a break in Mallorca from the dirty subway and the big city. She looked for accommodation in the rather tranquil Mancor de la Vall in the center of the island. “With the rental car we can explore the coast or we can go hiking in nature.” Her boyfriend had even gone swimming in the sea. “It’s still far too cold for me,” says the holidaymaker. The water temperatures are currently 16 degrees.
Flights around 50 percent more expensive
The Germans had booked the vacation months ago. “A few friends of ours wanted to join us in the short term, but the flights were too expensive for them,” says the Cologne native. Compared to the previous year, 27 percent fewer aircraft fly to the island at Easter. The current connections are around 50 percent more expensive, says Marín.
“Some cost 500 euros there and back,” notes Gerlinde Weininger. The restaurateur runs the restaurant “Münchner Kindl” and the discotheque “MK Arena” on the Playa. “From Easter Monday the prices will drop. The same applies to the hotels. After the holidays there are some double rooms in a four-star hotel for under 70 euros.”
Only two weeks after the booking gap did the season pick up speed – and the Playa developed into the notorious Ballermann party zone again. At the end of April at the latest, when the large discotheques “Megapark” and “Bierkönig” celebrate the opening of the season, things will be off.
Island of alcohol and drug excesses
Pedro Marín says 2023 was fantastic from an economic point of view. But given the numerous alcohol and drug excesses, it was also a disaster. During the last peak season, the police reported violent fights, rapes and even murders almost every week. German holidaymakers were often involved.
Marín is “firmly convinced that things will be better this year.” After the regional elections and the change of government in the middle of the season last year, people now have the feeling for the first time that they are being listened to by the authorities. “The Palma town hall has already promised us a larger contingent of local police officers for Easter.”
The hotelier, one of the founders of the “Palma Beach Quality Offensive”, has been in favor of the so-called Amsterdam model for years. In the Dutch metropolis, alcohol consumption on the streets is prohibited. Violations will be punished immediately with a fine. “Only when the drinking holidaymakers have to pull out their wallets will we make progress,” he says. The problem will not be solved quickly. “But in six to seven years we could have the Playa de Palma we want.”
“There is a lack of police”
Gerlinde Weininger is a little more skeptical. “The drunks don’t have any money or ID with them. How are you supposed to collect them on the street?” But the landlady also thinks that something has to be done. “Vacationers in Mallorca must be able to go home at night without feeling uneasy on every street corner. There is a lack of police to control petty crime.”
Meanwhile, Marín is hopeful: “The government is working on new rules of etiquette that are based on our demands. I think we will feel this commitment this season.”
Palma Mayor Jaime Martínez presented new measures that mainly include penalties for illegal graffiti, violations when using e-scooters and peeing in public. In this context, it was mentioned again that drinking alcohol on the street could be punished as a serious offense with a fine of between 1,500 and 3,000 euros. “In the case of holidaymakers, we record their personal data so that we can collect the fine quickly,” says Martínez.