Holiday bookings for Menorca have seen an increase of around 50% in Germany, in comparison with the same time last year, according to the Councillor for Tourism, Lázaro Criado. In his opinion this is due to the island becoming more widely known in Germany, through attendance at trade fairs and agreements made with tour operators. He also feels that the island suits the average German tourist, offering nature, countryside, outdoor activities (such as walking, trekking, horse riding or cycling) and little in the way of mass construction. The 3.6% increase in the country's GDP and an all-time high for employment have also contributed, as has the uncertain situation in North African countries.
Last year a total of 56,000 Germans visited the island, an increase of 9,000 on 2008's figure and a contrast to the steady drop in numbers experienced over the previous ten years which saw an average annual loss of 11,700 tourists.
Other Markets
The Portuguese market is also being targeted, with a Menorca stand at the BTL fair and workshops to be held this month in Lisbon and Oporto.
The number of seats on flights between France and Menorca during the high season has more than tripled this year, rising from 2,200 to 8.640. Air Nostrum will connect the island to Nice and Marseilles and EasyJet is to start to operate three flights per week to Paris.
Holiday reservations in the U.K. have also risen slightly compared to last year, leading Criado to hope that the figures this year will show an improvement on 2010 when a total of 1.1 million holidaymakers visited the island, around 49,000 more than in the previous year, and both the hotel occupancy rate and average length of holiday increased.
On the road in the U.K.
Around 200 travel agents from the Thomas Cook Call Centre in Falkirk visited the Menorcan Roadshow on the first day of its tour of the U.K. to learn about the island at first hand, an initiative described by the Call Centre Director, Fiona Robertson as "pioneering" and "especially appropriate".
The next stop on the Roadshow's schedule was Glasgow where the general public were the target, rather than travel agents.
At Briggate in Leeds, the "Warm at Heart" campaign attracted the interest of around 1,100 passers-by before the 'promobus' moved to Leeds-Bradford airport where a professional workshop was arranged for Jet2.com's travel agents and air crew.
The Sun promotes Menorca
Menorca received a glowing write-up in The Sun on Saturday, the result of a familiarisation trip for travel journalists from various newspapers who were shown the island's delights by Bryce Lyons over the course of a week.
Written by Marianna Longmire, the article talks of the island's heritage and praises the choice of restaurants, not forgetting to mention the 'pomada'!
Ciutadella and Maó are mentioned briefly, as are some of the activities available to holidaymakers, such as kayaking or horse-riding, and a visit to Son Martorellet Stables is recommended.
The island obviously made a deep impression on the writer who "can't wait to come back".