Crisis in Majorca as bars and clubs forced to close during the week | World | News
Majorca’s hospitality sector has been expressing disappointment over a less-than-stellar season, with restaurants reporting a 20% drop in turnover as early as June.
While bars and restaurants often steal the spotlight, other areas of the sector have also been highlighting their own struggles.
Nightlife, in particular, has been hard hit, with the ABONE association estimating a 15% decline in turnover compared to 2023.
Association president, Miguel Pérez-Marsá, noted that while July and August were decent, the rest of the season has been rather lackluster.
As a result, some businesses in Majorca’s resorts have already started closing for the season.
Pérez-Marsá, who is also the CEO of the Cursach Group, pointed to BCM in Magalluf—the group’s most famous club—as an example. Although BCM held a closing party on September 28, there are still some events lined up for October.
July and August were reasonable months for the hospitality sector, according to association president Miguel Pérez-Mars, but the rest of the season has been fairly flat.
He said: “September was quite difficult. Some have only been opening at the weekend. There isn’t much activity.”
Both restaurants and clubs attribute the downturn to a lack of spending, which they believe is at least partially driven by the rising costs of travel and accommodation.
Although statistics show a 4.7% increase in tourist numbers during the first eight months of 2024 and a 12% rise in overall spending, these figures can be misleading.
The bulk of the spending is often absorbed by the cost of package holidays or independent travel and accommodation.
This means it doesn’t always reflect what tourists are actually spending once they reach their destinations.
These statistics, therefore, have long been criticized for not providing a clear picture of in-destination spending habits.
Pérez-Mars added: “The truth is that the season has not met expectations. The post-pandemic champagne effect, with many people travelling and with a desire to spend, has ended. We have not had the activity that we had in 2022 and 2023.”
