Last year Ibiza hoteliers dropped prices during July and August by 20-30% to encourage more tourists, the same is predicted this year
According to Juanjo Planells, the vice-president of the Hotel Association of Portmany; Pedro Matutes, general manager of Sirenis and Roberto Hortensiaus, owner of the Osiris Hotel, hotels are aware there will be less tourists this summer than the previous, however they do not consider the prediction as “worrying at all” as previous years have been unusually good.
According to the Diario de Ibiza, Juanjo Planells stated that at present reservations are “2% or 3% below last year”, which “is not a significant decrease”. “In July and August, you will notice a greater decrease, but this has an easy remedy,” says Planells, referring to the discounts in room prices. “Rates have been reduced last year in the most upscale establishments,” says the businessman, who has no doubt that the same thing will happen again this summer.
Be that as it may, “it will be a very good season for Ibiza”, said Planells.
8% British Tourist Decline
There has been an 8% drop in reservations by British tourists in the first quarter of this year which hoteliers hope will be consolidated by other nationalities, even so, all businessmen admitted that this will not prevent a global decline in Ibiza of between 2-8%, the worst months affected will be July and August.
The recovery of Turkey’s economy has been offered as one reason for Ibiza’s tourist decline, as well as the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, although Pedro Matutes stated that “family tourism is doing well and has always been more faithful to Ibiza”.
Roberto Hortensius went on to say that May and June are selling well while also confirming significant price drops in the high season. “Logically, establishments with stratospheric prices have more leeway to go down,” he said. But in general, “there are hotels with rates that have not been seen for years”, referencing strong decreases that are occurring to prevent customers from moving to other destinations.
The consensus is ‘trust in a recovery of last-minute reservations.’
