Panic in Majorca as revenues plummet 20% and tourists ditch the island's beaches

Beach businesses in Majorca have seen a 20% drop-off in revenues as tourists abandon once-popular hotspots, according to local authorities. The startling figures are for the month of July compared to the previous year, and it's being blamed on surging airfare and hotel costs by the Association of Temporary Services Concessions and Operations in the Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain of Majorca (Adopuma).

Adopuma president Onofre Fornés said: "Reduced income, higher operating costs and subdued demand for key services, such as sun loungers and deckchairs, have affected turnover, for example in areas such as Playa de Muro and Can Picafort."

He added that "irresponsible negative messages against tourism" are "damaging" the perception of Majorca as a holiday destination, and that's having a direct impact on the sector's income.

"Although hotel occupancy may be high, demand for complementary services is showing a downward trend that is having a major impact on a business sector that generates thousands of direct jobs a year", he went on.

A reduction in the number of tourists visiting Majorca from the UK and Germany, in particular, is being blamed on the downturn.

Local reporter Humphrey Carter wrote for the Majorca Daily Bulletin: "Over the past few months I have been to some of the most emblematic beaches in Mallorca from Illetas to Sa Rapita and beyond and I have yet to have come across problems of mass tourism and overcrowding. In fact, quite the opposite. Last Saturday afternoon in Illetas it was the quietest I've seen it all summer to date and we are at the peak of high season."

Pedro Oliver, the president of the College of Tour Guides, said his excursion sales have fallen 20% this summer, with the worst-affected areas being Valldemossa, Palma, and Port Soller.

He said: "The anti-tourism messages are resonating. If you generate negative news, which has repercussions in other countries, tourists opt for other destinations when choosing their holidays.

"We are sending the message that we don't want tourists and that everything is too crowded."