MALLORCA – The Balearic Islands are preparing to receive foreign tourists in the coming Easter period. Everything is being done to prevent foreign tourists from bringing the corona virus to the islands.
The virus incidence there is currently 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The latest rule is that during Holy Week (from March 26 to April 11) only people living together can stay in the same hotel room in the Balearic Islands. So a German couple who do not live together in their country cannot spend the night together in a hotel room in the Balearic Islands. They must each book their own single room.
This is according to La Vanguardia laid down in the restrictive measures imposed by the regional government of the Balearic Islands for Easter week. It also states that it is not allowed to hold gatherings of people who do not live together in private spaces. The regional tourism minister points out that these rules also apply to tourists.
When customers check into a hotel for a double room, the receptionist must check whether those people live together or not. If they cannot prove this, both they and the property may be penalized for breaking the rule. It is not yet known how and with what.
The German Touristik Aktuell already indicated that it expected problems with this new requirement, as no address is stated in German passports. Whether Germans are living together or not will thus be difficult to verify. How the authorities intend to deal with this is not yet known. The Minister of Tourism has not yet commented on this writes La Vanguardia.
Many Germans expected
Last Friday Germany removed a number of regions in Spain from the list of risk countries. German tourists can therefore go on holiday to the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, La Rioja and Murcia from next Sunday without having to go into quarantine or submit a negative test when they return to their country.
As a result, German airlines have registered a huge increase in demand for flights scheduled to, among others, Mallorca. According to Eurowings, Lufthansa’s low-cost carrier, its flights were sold out “in no time”, German public broadcaster ARD reported. For Easter, even 300 additional flights to the Balearic Islands were planned. The number of bookings also increased at EasyJet. The Berlin – Palma connection in particular grew by 466%.
Germany will be the largest supplier of tourists to the Balearic Islands in the Easter period. The English (still the main market for the islands) can only travel freely from 17 May. Spaniards are not yet allowed to leave their region for unnecessary travel.
Requirements to enter islands
All international passengers wishing to stay in Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca or Formentera must pass two checks. First, the temperature is taken off and a visual inspection takes place. In addition, a completed health check form must be submitted. Finally, it must be possible to submit a negative PCR or TMA. Anyone who cannot provide this document must undergo a test on site. People who exhibit symptoms compatible with a Covid-19 infection should also do so. If the test is positive, the traveller must be quarantined in one of the hotels that the Balearic Islands have specially equipped for this purpose.
