C.M.W..MaóThe Menorcan Hoteliers´ Association, ASHOME, considers that the tourist figures for the first few months of summer this year are "extraordinary" and predicts that this month will show an occupancy rate for the island´s hotels of around 96%.
Statistics for both June and July exceeded the predictions made at the beginning of the year by the association, with the months showing improvements of 10% and 6% respectively on last year´s figures. The difference this month will be less, as August is traditionally the time when the hotels can expect the highest number of clients, but is expected to be around 3% compared to the 0.5% predicted earlier.
The hoteliers´ association believes that this improvement is due partly to the island benefiting from the adverse effects of the conflict in the Lebanon, to the detriment of other destinations such as Turkey, and partly to the Fundación Destino Menorca´s campaign to advertise Menorca separately from the other Balearic Islands and the introduction of low-cost flights to the island.
ASHOME is viewing September with expectation, but the outcome depends on the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. The prospect of extending the season is viewed with guarded optimism; the association fears that the recent terrorist threats in the U.K. could reawaken tourists´ fears of flying, resulting in fewer visitors towards the end of the season.
If this fear is not realised, and at the moment there appear to be no signs of holidays being cancelled for this reason, then optimistic predictions put the occupancy rate for September at 7% higher than last year, when the island´s hotels were full to 74.24% of their capacity. During the next few weeks efforts will be concentrated on attracting tourists to the island for the "end of season" period, considered to be the "icing on the cake" for the tourist industry in Menorca.
