Spain holidays: Majorca hotels forced to close over strict UK quarantine rules

Majorca hotels have begun to close as the island gives up hope of the UK reversing Spain quarantine rules. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently advises against all non-essential travel to Spain, including the Balearic and Canary Islands, based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks in the country. Anyone returning from Spain will be required to self-isolate for 14 days on their return to the UK.

Hoteliers in Majorca, in the Balearic islands, were pinning their hopes of a deadline of August 10 for a decision on quarantine reversal but have been left devastated by the lack of any good news and say they can’t hold out any longer.

Hotels in the Balearics say they couldn’t begin to compete with huge price cuts of more than 50 per cent in rival nations Turkey and Greece.

Both countries “are adopting all fiscal and economic measures to make them more attractive for British and German tourism,” claim hoteliers.

President of the Majorca hotel federation, Maria Frontera said that hotels have now started to close their doors, with only six weeks left of the normal holiday season.

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One of the first hotels to shut on the island is the British favourite, the four-star Fergus Style Sóller Beach in Majorca’s Puerto de Sóller.

The establishment announced in English on its Facebook site: “We are coming to you with not such great news, dear friends: due the last COVID measures taken by the UK government, we have no other choice than close the hotel for this season.

“We are devastated and we know that many of you will be too. We hope you all keep safe, positive and looking forward to coming as soon as things get better, if not this year, the next one (sic).”

The Costa del Sol on mainland Spain is also facing a wipe-out season while the quarantine remains in force.

Hoteliers on the Costa del Sol estimate 90 per cent of British bookings have now been cancelled.

Many hotels are expected to close or not reopen at all this month.

However, Tenerife is still pressing for a reversal as the high season in the Canary Islands begins traditionally in October “so there is still time left”, according to the island’s government.

We trust that the quarantine will be reversed so that the tourist activity, which had been restarted, with encouraging results, can be reactivated for the winter campaign,” said tourism councillor, José Gregorio Martín Plata.

The UK government’s strict stance on Spain is “based on evidence of increases in cases of COVID-19 in several regions, but particularly in Aragon, Navarra and Catalonia (which include the cities of Zaragoza, Pamplona and Barcelona),” explained the FCO.

While Britons are advised against non-essential travel, holidaymakers are not being told to come home early.

“The FCO is not advising those already travelling in Spain to leave at this time,” the Foreign Office clarified.

“Travellers should follow the advice of the local authorities on how best to protect themselves and others, including any measures that they bring in to control the virus.”

Additional reporting by Rita Sobot

source: express.co.uk