Last night saw the Spanish Tourist Office in London and the Tourism Foundation Palma de Mallorca 365 launch a new tourism initiative geared towards making the popular Balearic Island a year-round destination for Brits.
Almost 2.5 million Brits visited Mallorca in 2013, a 7.2% year on year increase, however, seasonality is high and it continues to be considered as a summer beach destination, with almost 70% of those tourists choosing to visit between June and September.
So the Tourism Foundation Palma de Mallorca 365 is asking UK travellers to look again at the island capital and witness the huge variety of cultural and entertainment options on offer that make this lively urban hub the ideal city break destination at all times of year.
According to the Mallorca Hotel Business Federation, the city houses 8,000 hotel rooms, of which 80% are four and five star rated – positioning the city as third in Spain in terms of hotel capacity. The city has 22 hotels with spa facilities and offers endless activities, from fantastic gastronomy and nightlife, to shopping and culture, including the spectacular Joan Miró Foundation where guests can enjoy the studios where Joan Miró worked from 1956 until his death in 1983.
Within a 10-minute radius, the city offers five golf courses and nine marinas for sailing and the island also boasts 105 miles of trekking routes and 780 miles of cycling paths.
The Tourism Foundation Palma de Mallorca 365 is a public-private organisation that was founded to push this message out. The focus for 2014 is to highlight eight key products on offer in the city; culture, sports, sailing, cruises, gastronomy, shopping, MICE and entertainment.
Last night’s event took place at one of London’s hottest venues, the ME London, which was opened by Spanish hotel group, Meliá, last year. Leading UK travel media and trade were in attendance, as well as the deputy director of the Spanish Tourist Office in London, Ignacio Valle; president of the Foundation, Mateo Isern; Mayor of Palma de Mallorca city, Alvaro Gijón; deputy Mayor and tourism councillor, Javier Bonet; and the director general of tourism for the city of Palma and the managing director of the Foundation Palma 365, Pedro Homar.
