Mallorca Top Sun Holidays For 2008

The island of Mallorca looks set to take the title of most popular holiday island for the European market this year, and with a hotels and holiday industry steeped in history she is showing she is adaptable to the modern needs of tourists too.

Since the advent of package holidays some fifty years ago initiated by holiday companies such as Thomas Cook and Thomson Holidays, whole areas of Spain and other European countries have built their economies around tourism, and each year they hope that the holidaymakers will come to their area. Some islands like Menorca and Majorca are almost entirely dependent upon having a modern economy and infrastructure through incoming tourism.

In June Last year predictions were for a dire 2007 for the holidays and flights market, with Spain and the Spanish islands including Menorca and Majorca being badly hit. The important UK market was slow, and British tour operators had reportedly close to a million holidays left unsold for the rapidly approaching peak summer months.

But after an unseasonly warm April in Britain when many people were considering taking a holiday in traditionally popular areas of the UK for holidays such as Scotland, Devon and Cornwall, the move towards an overseas holiday changed as quickly as the weather. Widespread floods led to mass holiday bookings and flights to Majorca, to the extent where some tour operators were able to return their holiday costs to full prices - and from a million unsold holidays people were suddenly having to take what was available.

Further worries were for the German market - along with the UK a vital market for holidays in Majorca, with the enviromental costs and carbon footprint dissuading some from taking flights to Majorca.

In recent years traditional holiday destinations such as Spain have faced new competition from Eastern European countries, with often lower cost holiday packages and flights, but despite initial signs of a real challenge, Spain seems to have seen them off for the moment at least, with overall visitor numbers for 2007 expected to rise compared to last year.

Among the tourists to the number one destination of Mallorca for holidays this year have been the Spanish Royal Family. The Royals traditionally spend their summer holidays on the island at the Marivent Palace, with this year being no exception. Previous guests some years ago during their holidays in Majorca have included Princess Diana with Princes William and Harry while they were still toddlers. The Spanish Prime Minister also traditionally visits Majorca for a meeting with King Juan Carlos.

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