Spain’s Institute of Tourism Studies (IET) has recently revealed that almost one fifth of the 32.2 million passengers who chose to fly to Spain with low-cost airlines between January and October this year landed in Mallorca’s capital – Palma.
Across this ten month period, 5.9 million budget flyers passed through Palma Airport which represents a 12% increase on 2010. For the Balearic Islands as a whole, the figure for the same period was 7.6 million low-cost arrivals, an even bigger 14% increase on the previous year.
This upward aviation trend was not confined to no-frills, arrivals to Palma on traditional airlines also increased by 8.4% for the first ten months of the year to a figure of just over 2 million. However this represented less than a tenth of the 23.7 million passengers using traditional airlines to reach Spain as a whole and demonstrates the Islands’ partiality to budget services.
Stephen Dight, Managing Director of Mallorca Sotheby’s International Realty, is pleased to see air passenger arrivals on the up as improved tourist numbers are often a precursor to demand-led price increases in the housing market. He also urges tourists not to simply see Palma as a ‘gateway’ to the Island but to take time to explore all that the city has to offer.
Stephen comments, “Capital Palma is the Balearics’ only real city with a population of over 400,000 and deserves full attention for its culture, architecture and atmosphere. Palma shares many characteristics with big sister Barcelona – a Gothic Cathedral that has received the Gaudi touch, refurbished old buildings, mazy shopping streets with designer boutiques and high street names, ornamental gardens with relaxing fountains, art museums and an impressive city beach – but without the suffocating tourist numbers and pick pocketing. The marina front is seemingly endless filled with shiny superyachts and visiting cruise ships alongside quaint traditional working fishing boats that deliver their catch to Palma’s many fine dining, seafood and tapas restaurants. ”
