M.Allorca flight booked out, that’s what the travel group TUI reports for the first Easter connections to the Spanish island. The end of the German risk area classification for Mallorca has led to a sharp rise in bookings. TUI therefore announced on Tuesday that it would launch more package tours there.
The range of flights with the Group’s own company TUI fly will be doubled compared to the original plan, which existed before the relaxation. The Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings also reported “travel bookings at an unprecedented level”. Already on Monday there was hardly a pure ticket for a one-way flight to Mallorca at Easter for less than 200 euros.
The great interest in vacation after lockdown months is causing a slight jubilation in the travel industry, but worries in politics. Because with the end of the classification of the island as a risk area, hurdles to return have fallen. Vacationers then no longer have to be in quarantine, they no longer have to fill out the usual entry form and they also do not have to be tested. There is resistance to this in Lower Saxony. The state government would like to reintroduce binding tests for returnees at airports and, according to its own information, is advising the federal government on this.
Last autumn, Germany cut back the test system at airports and replaced it with the quarantine obligation, which could not be averted even with negative tests. According to a survey by the German Travel Association among travel agencies, this had previously been cited by customers as one of the main reasons for hesitation when booking. Now a turnaround is desired from Hanover.
Restrictions remain in Mallorca
The people who now wanted to travel to Mallorca should know that they are exposing themselves to a certain risk, said a spokeswoman for the state government. People from all over Germany and Europe meet on site and there is a risk of infections spreading. “You bring a real problem into the country with your eyesight.” Meanwhile, the Foreign Office says: “The absence of a travel warning is not an invitation to travel.”
Meanwhile, holiday customers are obviously not deterred by the fact that there is only a limited range of experiences on site. In Mallorca there is a general mask requirement in public spaces, restaurants outside of the hotels are only allowed to serve guests at the table until 5 p.m. And after 10 p.m. there is still a curfew. The hostels are also required to only accommodate people from one household together in one room.
While when returning to Germany – apart from the mask requirement on the plane and airport – travel is now possible as before the pandemic, Spain has not changed anything for the way there. As was customary since last summer, tourists have to register online in advance for entry, and the obligation to submit a negative corona test, which has existed for months, continues. No test from the discounter is sufficient for this, a PCR test is usually necessary, which must be carried out in Germany before the outbound flight to ensure a timely result.
“Punch in the pit of the stomach”
In the German gastronomy and hotel industry, there is now talk of a political “blow in the pit of the stomach”. Local businesses feel ignored because they are not even allowed to serve guests a cup of coffee at the table, while on Mallorca hotels open and restaurants – albeit with certain conditions – are allowed to serve holidaymakers from Germany.
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