The Germans' favorite island is now a high-incidence corona area.
Will this hit the tourism industry as hard as it will in 2020?
Opinions differ.
Mallorca - The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) identified all of Spain as a high incidence area on Friday evening, July 23rd.
This does not only mean the mainland, but also all the islands in the country, including Mallorca.
The new classification will apply from Tuesday, July 27th.
Anyone who does not enter Germany before 11:59 p.m. on Monday, July 26, has to go into quarantine for ten days.
The isolation can be ended early after five days with a negative corona test result.
Fully vaccinated and convalescent people are exempt from the quarantine obligation.
RKI classifies Spain and Mallorca as a high incidence area: the industry remains hopeful
The basis for the classification by the RKI is the seven-day incidence combined with other factors.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported 360.4 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week in the Balearic Islands (as of July 21, 2021).
With the number of infections steadily increasing, it had been in the making for days that Spain would also be designated as a high-incidence area.
+
The federal government has declared all of Spain with Mallorca and the Canary Islands to be a high incidence area in view of the rapidly increasing corona numbers (archive image).
© Clara Margais / dpa
Mallorca was also a risk area in the 2020 summer season.
But the tourism industry will not be hit this year as hard as it was back then, concluded the
Mallorca Zeitung
from discussions with local companies.
In 2020, 60 to 70 percent of the booking was suddenly canceled.
With an occupancy rate of 85 percent of the open accommodations, Mallorca is in a much better position this summer.
Even if there were still cancellations, the hotels assumed they would continue to be profitable.
RKI classifies Spain as a high incidence area: Different opinions on Mallorca
"The season is by no means over yet," said Yannik Erhart, head of Universal Hotels to the
Mallorca Zeitung
.
He wouldn't be surprised if individual guests canceled.
The vacationers on site did not appear panicked or scared.
"I have not yet heard that someone wants to leave early," explained Erhart.
FTI managing director Ralph Schiller was less optimistic about the newspaper: “It is a setback for the target area Spain, because the previously good booking situation will probably be put into perspective for the time being due to the presumably rather subdued demand and rebooking.
Whether there will be another comeback for Spain before the end of the summer season depends on the further corona developments and remains to be seen. "
Kerstin Heinen from the German Travel Association was also pessimistic.
"The timing could not be more unfortunate," she said to
bild.de
.
The planned quarantine for those returning from a journey unsettled people "who are on vacation or who are about to leave".
Thomas Bareiß, the Federal Government's Tourism Commissioner, also regretted that stricter quarantine rules now apply to travelers from Spain.
“However, the classification into the various risk areas is based on transparent regulations.
This makes travel safe and - as far as it goes into a pandemic - also planned, "said the CDU politician
bild.de
.
For Germany, the RKI also reports increasing numbers of infections.
The board of directors of the World Medical Association expects the seven-day incidence due to travelers returning from risk areas to increase even further.
(lb)
List of rubric lists: © Clara Margais / dpa
