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In just over a month, the Middle East conflict has reminded the world that, at least in the 21st century, the seismic wave of wars is felt far beyond where the bombs fall. Its effect has already spread to the price of oilthe stock market and geopolitics and now threatens to shake the shopping basket. Another sector in which it is also leaving its mark (and a lot) is the touristwho has seen how in a matter of weeks flights were canceledthey reinforced routes and basically demand swung at a global level. And that is being felt strongly in the Balearic Islands. More flights to Mallorca. That the Balearic Islands see their flight schedule reinforced at the gates of Easter and with summer just around the corner is nothing new. What is curious is that the programming is shielded with dozens and dozens of extra frequencies, such as reveals Mallorca Diarywhich estimates that the war in Iran has led to more than a hundred extra flights being planned between Germany and Mallorca for the start of the season. In practice this translates into something that will soon be noticed in the Balearic Islands: tens and tens of thousands of extra places for German travelers until June. How many flights are there? Yes. The biggest injection will come from Eurowing, an airline low cost based in Düsseldorf and part of the Lufthansa Group. A few days ago its managers announced the scheduling of a hundred extra flights to Palma, an effort that they relate (without mentioning it directly and explicitly) to the instability that the Middle East is experiencing. “The airline responds to the changing demand of the sector and reinforces its offer to the western Mediterranean,” clarify. According to the calculations of the company, the reinforcement of its operations with Mallorca will result in 36,000 extra seats until the end of May. “Around 100 additional flights are planned to Palma, along with around 70 connections to the Canary Islands (Fuerteventura, Las Palmas, Tenerife), as well as to Faro, Málaga, Naples and Nice,” Eurowings specifies before specifying that the new scheduled flights will operate from the airports of Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Stuttgart. Beyond Eurowings. The Lufthansa airline is not the only one that has decided to redouble its commitment to the Balearic Islands. Condor Flugdienst, another German operator, will reactivate two connections with the Spanish archipelago starting in May: one will be the Dortmund-Palma route, which will be covered daily with an Airbus A321; the other will link the Münster/Osnabrück airport with Mallorca. The list of companies that will target the Balearic Islands offer in the coming weeks are Ryanair and TUI Fly. The first offers a route to Mallorca from Friedrichshaffen, in Baden-Württemberg (Germany). Regarding the second, Tourinews inform that a few days ago it announced the scheduling of 68 additional flights with around 10,000 seats from several German airfields, including Hannover and Munich. The destinations are spread across various points throughout southern Europe, including Greece, the Canary Islands and Mallorca. “They have changed their plans”. It is not just that German airlines seem to look with redoubled interest at the great destinations of southern Europe and the Mediterranean. The sector itself recognizes a change in trend that is related to the war in Iran and the influence it is exerting on the market. “Many tourists who had not yet booked and were planning to travel to destinations in the Middle East have changed their plans at the last minute and opted for other places,” clarify to Mallorca Diary from the Business Group of Travel Agencies of the Balearic Islands (AVIVA). a few days ago The reason assuredciting data from tour operators, that British reservations have skyrocketed by 40% in the Balearic Islands. The Canary Islands have also recorded an increase of 16%. “Last minute increases”. Last week the Hotel Business Federation of Mallorca (FEHM) calculated that the average occupancy during Easter will be around 70%, a level similar to that of past years, with 92% of its places activated. In the specific case of Palma, the forecasts were somewhat better and almost 90% of the available rooms were expected to be filled. These are, however, the starting data. In general, the group is cautious, remembering the “uncertainty” that reigns in the market internationally and also recognizing that its initial estimates may be out of date, opening the door to an increase in reserves. “There may be increases due to last minute sales,” anticipates the executive vice president of FEHM. Has the scenario changed that much? The truth is that yes. And in several aspects. The war and its consequences, which extend far beyond Iranian borders to the rest of the Persian Gulf, have made tourists from other countries be suspicious of destinations established until now. A few weeks ago, the Mabrian firm studied the security perception indices of nations such as Qatar, the Emirates and Saudi Arabia and found that the indicator had plummeted. The most curious thing is that it has also taken its toll on other distant tourist spots, such as Jordan, Türkiye or Egypt. The study was carried out shortly after the US and Israeli attack on Iran and Tehran’s subsequent reaction, which turned the airspace of much of the Gulf upside down. Since that region plays a key role as an air interconnection point on routes between Europe and Asia, the war also took its toll to connections with countries like Sri Lanka. Surprising (but not that surprising). In reality, the latest movements of Eurowings, TUI Ryanair only confirm what analysts tell us. weeks anticipating: that part of the demand that now views the Middle East with suspicion will be redirected towards other beach destinations in Western Europe. Which is it? In mid-March the BBC spoke from Portugal, Italy and Spain, as well as the Caribbean, Mauritius and the USA. They were not simple predictions. The British chain cites data from a famous travel agency, Thomas Cook, which already at that time … Read more