Effect, evolution and trends of tourism in the Balearic Islands post-Covid-19

Abstract

[eng] The Balearic Islands, historically one of the main tourist destinations chosen by millions and millions of people, is severely affected by the impact caused by the Coronavirus worldwide. In order to understand the effect that this pandemic is having on the Balearic Islands, the context of this region until 2019 is analyzed. Once the characteristics, trends and peculiarities of the Balearic Islands have been exposed, the tourist situation of the islands in 2020, when COVID-19 is in full swing, is analyzed in depth. The radical change in the behavior of the Balearic Islands is of real interest, as not only the tourist activity is affected, but also the GDP, unemployment, the collapse of the health services, the stagnation of social activities, etc. Thus, the results for the tourism sector in the Balearic Islands in 2020 contrast what tends to be obvious: among other things, bookings in the hotel sector fall sharply, bookings are made much further in advance and flexibility in booking conditions is increasing.