balearics iniative threatens packages

A NEW initiative by Balearic tourism chiefs could signal the end of package holidays for British tourists.

Island bosses say the market is moving away from the traditional sun, sea and sand package deal, with a growing number of holidaymakers researching and tailoring their trips independently.

Tourism officials have set up a panel of experts to devise a strategy for cashing in on the growth by widening the region’s product range.

Institute of Balearic Tourism (IBATUR) director Tiffany Blackman insisted the strategy reflected a change in holiday trends and was not a reaction to a 500,000 dip in tourist numbers this year. “There are people flying in on EasyJet and staying in five-star hotels,” she said. “It’s a revolution. People are getting what they want, and not what they are sold as part of a package.”

The Balearics Ministry of Tourism is repositioning the region by investing in facilities for activity holidays. Bosses will also be concentrating on promoting the region’s history and culture and developing rural areas. The panel of 10 academic experts, announced last week at a conference in Palma, will look at issues facing the industry and report back in March 2003.