Mallorca all set to welcome holidaymakers after taken off from risk list

Published on : Wednesday, March 17, 2021

German tourists who are planning to visit Mallorca are being cautioned that the restrictions related to coronavirus apply to everyone after the Spanish island was removed from Berlin’s high-risk list, leading to a rush from holidaymakers.

Now, Mallorca officials are getting all prepared to welcome an influx of German tourists, as they line up by the thousands to book Easter getaways in the Mediterranean, escaping a country that seems to be making an entry into the third wave of Covid-19 and whose vaccination programme is off to a stuttering start.

The increase in interest comes days after the foreign ministry of Germany declared that Mallorca, a destination referred to among some Germans as the country’s 17th state in a jocular way, was no longer a high risk area along with other parts of Spain, Portugal and Denmark.

Germans reacted eagerly, even as Berlin cautioned foreign travel. “The desire to spend the Easter holidays on the Mediterranean is significantly bigger than expected,” said TUI in a statement on Tuesday, as it said it would open its hotels on the island next weekend, ahead of schedule.

300 additional flights, Eurowings said that it was introducing to cope up with increased demand as vacationers reported prices that had rocketed threefold. Also, Ryanair participated in it, unveiling that it would offer 200 additional flights between Germany and Spain during Easter.

By some however, the news was met with frustration in the Balearic Islands, who has raised questions as why the region was welcoming tourists as residents were still limited by stringent coronavirus restrictions.

Officials rapidly pointed out that tourists would not be exempt from the restrictions. “I see that many people are saying that tourists will be able to do things residents cannot. This is not true,” Marga Frontera, a health councillor for the regional government, said on Twitter. “Visitors to the Balearic islands are obliged to respect the same rules as residents.”