Recent new competition from the former Eastern Bloc countries have focused the minds of the tourist boards in traditionally favourite holiday destinations for Europeans in recent years – and it appears they could be doing a good job as many of the most chosen areas for this year are pretty much the same as ten and even twenty years ago.
The biggest winner this year among the holiday resorts seems to be Spain with six out of the top twenty destinations either being regions of the mainland like the Costa del Sol, or one of the Spanish Balearic or Canary islands, such as Ibiza and Tenerife.
Among city breaks Paris ranks highly, as it always does, while London has suffered with a high pound resulting in visitors from the US dropping this year – and a boredom factor setting in – with some Americans not visiting a second time as they feel they have ‘done it’ after seeing Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament. While some will venture as far afield as Windsor Castle, some twenty miles out of London, and some Oxford, few venture to other parts of England, preferring to catch the Eurostar to Paris with a two city trip.
Far flung destinations reaching the top twenty include Egypt and the Dominican Republic. Florida is in the doldrums for European visitors despite good value with the Euro and British Sterling both doing well against the US dollar. But getting in and out of America is becoming a real chore for many visitors now. If it isn’t bad enough queueing at Disney for the rides with children in tow, a long wait in line at immigration after a ten hour flight is not the best start to a holiday – and with EuroDisney a far easier option visitor numbers are unlikely to recover any time soon.
But it appears no matter what new destinations come up for holiday possibilities, Spain and her islands are resilient to the challenges, and when they are challenged aren’t afraid to advertise to past tourists to visit again, and for new ones to visit for the first time.
Mallorca as an island has been promoting itself to the UK market by including a team distributing information at London’s Victoria Station. Trains from Victoria run several times an hour to London’s Gatwick Airport, allowing easy access to Mallorca for Londoners.
The Balearic Islands of which Mallorca is part consist of three islands, as well as Malloca there is Menorca (the smallest island)and and Ibiza. Menorca has a season that traditionally is at its peak early May to end September, but is now trying to extend that from mid April to mid October.
As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.
Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.
Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Parc, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.
The cost of flying to Mallorca has come down in recent years from most European countries due to low cost airlines, especially in the island’s core tourist areas of the United Kingdom and Germany, and last year easyJet started direct flights from London’s Gatwick Airport to the sister island of Menorca, as well as serving Mallorca itself.
Despite competition from other destinantions, Mallorca looks set to remain a favourite holiday spot for some time to come.

2007 has proved to be a good year for Spanish tourism, and with Majorca doing particularly well, the sister island of Menorca is doing her best not to be overshadowed.
With official figures some way off, the general feeling in the hotels and holidays trade is that, like Majorca, an increase in the number of visitors compared to 2006 is likely.
But privately run companies often have a quicker gauge on market trends than government bodies, and easyJet, one of Europe’s best known airlines, has begun a new route to Menorca from the island’s important UK market. The new route flies from Newcastle in the north-east of England to Menorca’s capital Mahon, and some 5000 holiday makers are anticipated to be using the service during this season. The Newcastle service to Menorca is in addition to the airline’s existing flights in the UK to the island from London’s Gatwick Airport, Liverpool and Bristol.
In a further boost for Menorca, this time from the financial services sector, one of Britain’s best known banks and mortgage provider is to open three new offices on the Spanish islands of the Canaries plus Menorca to meet demand for Britons looking to buy a home in Spain.
The decision by the Halifax was taken from data showing a trend towards Britons buying homes overseas, with Spain the most popular choice.
Part of the decision was to open in Menorca, the quietest of the three Balearic Islands. Commenting on the move a local travel guide commented:
‘While Majorca and Ibiza are possibly better known than Menorca, it’s perhaps not so surprising that the bank has decided to open an office on the island. The typical buyer for property in Menorca is normally older than that for Majorca and Ibiza, which could mean they are hoping to service their investments and pensions along with a normal account – especially for those moving full time to Menorca.’
Commenting on the new bank branch in Menorca, the bank said that the opening of branches away from mainland Spain is an important step in the development of their branch network, and that they will continue to target the Spanish islands in addition to their Spanish mainland business.
Once bought, Menorca villas are often let out to holidaymakers, with the season generally running from May to end September.
The three Balearic Islands of Menorca, Majorca and Ibiza might be close to each other, but they are all different in character and the type of tourist they typically attract.
A surprise is that the amount of time spent on Ibiza by each tourist is longer than on Menorca and Majorca – destroying the myth that Ibiza is primarily for long weekends or short trips for a couple of nights in the club.
Recent findings by the Balearics Tourist Authority show that after Ibiza, Menorca visitors stay on average for 11 days, with Majorca just behind. And the same pattern emerges for spending per day, with Ibiza top, Majorca second, and Menorca last.
The amount spent by Ibiza tourists averaged 94 Euros a day – a huge contribution to the island’s economy, looked on enviously by Majorca and Menorca. But with new banks and flights Menorca might be starting to catch her sisters up.

The summer 2007 SuperYacht Cup, held off Palma de Mallorca, will be the most competitive for the yachts since the event began ten years ago.
With 40 entries so far, and another 20 possibles by the time the yachting weekend comes along, will ensure races to remember both for the yacht crews and spectactors, with plenty of social events organised for the evenings.
The organisers have appointed a Race Officer for this year’s event, to move the image from one of fun and socialisng, to that of a serious yacht competition, with the social side as active as ever.
The new officer has experience of helping to organise regattas in Cowes, on the UK’s Isle of Wight, one of the most famous locations in the yachting world, has sailing experience himself and brings to the Mallorca Supercup a drive and level of experience necessary to meet the organisers ambitions.
Palma in Mallorca is well suited for sailing. Set in the Mediterranean, with Menorca and Ibiza as close neighbours, it’s an ideal base for the Mediterranean.
The actual bay of Palma is ideally suited for the Cup races, and is some ten miles (nearly 15 kilometres) wide, with a naturally occuring wind – vital for good yachting!
As well as Mallorca, the yachting world has a busy year ahead in Europe, with Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight, and for the megayachts the Monaco Yacht Show in September just two of the occasions to look forward to.
The SuperYacht Cup is a welcome event for the holiday island of Mallorca. As well as drawing extra tourists for the event itself it adds an extra attraction for those holidaymakers already on the island, adding to the possibility of a return visit in future years – and with more destinations to choose from in recent years repeat visitors has become an important strategy in tourist locations.
As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.
Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.
Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Park, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.
The cost of flying to Mallorca has come down in recent years from most European countries due to low cost airlines, especially in the island’s core tourist areas of the United Kingdom and Germany, and last year easyJet started direct flights from London’s Gatwick Airport to the sister island of Menorca, as well as serving Mallorca itself.
Despite competition from other destinantions, Mallorca looks set to remain a favourite holiday spot for some time to come.

When the economy is good and people are taking two or three holidays a year, letting out an overseas property and getting good occupancy levels isn’t that difficult.
And with low interest rates, the rentals will cover the mortgage and often leave enough for a profit, and at the end of the mortgage the property is owned outright by the buyer, leaving him or her with a valuable asset good for a pension, or for a retirement home in the sun. Everyone involved, the owner, the bank and the people who rented for a holiday are happy.
But in times of economic troubles the picture isn’t so happy, and it’s at these times that potential buyers should really way up if the area they are considering buying in is a good investment.
The number of people renting villas and apartments abroad drops, the mortgage payments aren’t covered, and if the owner hasn’t got deep enough pockets to pay the shortfall between the rental income and the mortgage the home is repossessed.
But even in times of economic downturns this can lead to a new generation of overseas property owners picking up properties on the cheap, ready to rent out when times get better, and perhaps sale at the top of the next economic cycle.
So where is a good place for new overseas property buyers to look for? The answer is where the holiday markets are still strong despite the recession, where rental incomes might not dip as much as in other areas.
One UK based villa holiday specialist company has analysed which areas produced best booking returns for the 2007 villa holidays season, and Spain came out top. Within Spain it’s important to know which regions – and even narrower – which areas are performing best.
The regions of Spain showing good villa holidays rental potential include the three Balearic islands of Menorca, Ibiza and Majorca. The Canary Islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote were also popular last year and expected to be so again in 2008.
On the Spanish mainland the Costa Blanca was the most popular region, the Costa Blanca being made up of areas like Torrevieja, the Jalon Valley and Denia.
Once in a region where holiday villas are for sale look for something that has general appeal but also appeals to a particular market – a golf course is a good example. Menorca is a prime example of where it could make sense to buy close to a golf course.
The island only has one golf course, Son Parc, and if an overseas property buyer was to invest in an apartment or villa close to Son Parc the occupancy rate could be higher than other parts of the island, and the rental prices could be higher than those areas further away from the golf.
Menorca is the second largest of Spain’s three Balearic Islands. The other two islands are Majorca and Ibiza, Majorca holiday villas could also benefit during any recession as it is becoming increasingly popular and taking market share away from other holiday rental destinations.
Daytime summer temperatures hover around 27C in Menorca. Lovely peaceful days are on the menu on this island, a pace that attracts holiday makers in their 50’s and 60’s – who often have the spending power to rent a villa for a week or two, helping the owner with mortgage and other costs of maintaining an overseas property.
Overall the message is clear – in times of an economic downturn be careful where you buy a holiday home if you need to take a mortgage out to finance it. Do some research – and don’t accept estate agents high occupancy levels at face value – the estate agent is after a sale and acting for the seller, not you – do your own research locally first before committing to a sale – and use a lawyer to complete the sale to try and make sure there are no hidden problems.

Twenty somethings from the UK and Germany are cash rich on holiday, and proving to be a welcome sight for hotels, clubs and restaurants on the Spanish Balearic Islands.
The young singles with high disposable incomes often head for Ibiza for the island’s clubs and nightlife, and they are quite happy to pay for it.
Often still living at home, and with plenty of cash, young Brits, Italians and Germans are spending more per person on their trips than the conventional family on their villa and hotel breaks on neighbouring islands Menorca and Majorca.
But perhaps the biggest surprise is that the amount of time spent on Ibiza by each tourist is longer than on Menorca and Majorca – destroying the myth that Ibiza is primarily for long weekends or short trips for a couple of nights in the club.
The findings by the Balearics Tourist Authority show that after Ibiza, Menorca visitors stay on average for 11 days, with Majorca just behind. And the same pattern emerges for spending per day, with Ibiza top, Majorca second, and Majorca last.
The amount spent by Ibiza tourists averaged 94 Euros a day – a huge contribution to the island’s economy.
Commenting on the figures, a Menorca travel guide says both sets of figures will surprise many who steer away from Ibiza because of her reputation.
‘Of the three Balearic Islands, Menorca is known as the quiet one, the type of island where you take your family on holiday if there aren’t any mid to late teens who need entertaining, which would be more suited to Majorca. Ibiza is well known in Europe as a clubbing destination.’
Menorca villas are often let out to holidaymakers, with the season generally running from May to end September.
As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.
Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.
Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Park, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.
The cost of flying to Mallorca has come down in recent years from most European countries due to low cost airlines, especially in the island’s core tourist areas of the United Kingdom and Germany, and last year easyJet started direct flights from London’s Gatwick Airport to the sister island of Menorca, as well as serving Mallorca itself.

Clubbers from around Europe, and especially from the UK, descend upon Ibiza in the summer months for a week – and sometimes two – of non stop partying.
Ibiza runs second only to the UK’s main cities of London, Manchester and Liverpool in terms of popularity for clubbers, and some of the Ibiza clubs are as well known as any in the UK.
Demand for flights to Ibiza has been high enough in recent years for a low cost airline to start two new services from the UK to Ibiza, which should see the number of tourists on the island rise this year.
The two new routes are from Edinburgh in Scotland twice weekly, and London’s Luton Airport with both routes offering a daily service.
Announcing the new routes, a spokesman for the airline said that the famous Ibiza club season gets going at the end of June, and is still the best place to party in Europe. For the quiet life, head inland to the north coast of the island, where you find some of Spain’s most beautiful landscape rolling into the Mediterranean.
Talking about Ibiza’s neighbouring island and equally well known holiday destination Majorca, where they have been offering a low cost service for some years, the airline said of Majorca’s capital, Palma, that it is the elegant and cosmopolitan capital of Majorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands, and is known for its beaches, climate, cultural and traditional influences. The warm climate of Palma makes it a popular destination, with something for everyone.
As well as Majorca and Ibiza, the airline also offers a service to the third Balearic Island, Menorca.
‘Of the three Balearic Islands, Menorca is known as the quiet one, the type of island where you take your family on holiday if there aren’t any mid to late teens who need entertaining, which would be more suited to Majorca. Ibiza is well known in Europe as a clubbing destination.’ Say one travel guide for Menorca and Majorca.
Menorca villas are often let out to holidaymakers, with the season generally running from May to end September.
As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.
Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.
Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Park, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.
The three Balearic Islands of Menorca, Majorca and Ibiza might be close to each other, but they are all different in character and the type of tourist they typically attract.
A surprise is that the amount of time spent on Ibiza by each tourist is longer than on Menorca and Majorca – destroying the myth that Ibiza is primarily for long weekends or short trips for a couple of nights in the club.
The findings by the Balearics Tourist Authority show that after Ibiza, Menorca visitors stay on average for 11 days, with Majorca just behind. And the same pattern emerges for spending per day, with Ibiza top, Majorca second, and Majorca last.
The amount spent by Ibiza tourists averaged 94 Euros a day – a huge contribution to the island’s economy, which could be furthered with the new routes from Edinburgh and London.

Young Europeans flock to Ibiza for the island’s clubs and nightlife, and they are quite happy to pay for it.
Often still living at home, and with plenty of disposable income, young Brits, Italians and Germans are spending more per person on their trips than the conventional family on their villa and hotel breaks on neighbouring islands Menorca and Majorca.
But perhaps the biggest surprise is that the amount of time spent on Ibiza by each tourist is longer than on Menorca and Majorca – destroying the myth that Ibiza is primarily for long weekends or short trips for a couple of nights in the club.
The findings by the Balearics Tourist Authority show that after Ibiza, Menorca visitors stay on average for 11 days, with Majorca just behind. And the same pattern emerges for spending per day, with Ibiza top, Majorca second, and Majorca last.
The amount spent by Ibiza tourists averaged 94 Euros a day – a huge contribution to the island’s economy.
Commenting on the figures, a Menorca travel guide says both sets of figures will surprise many who steer away from Ibiza because of her reputation.
Family Island
‘Of the three Balearic Islands, Menorca is known as the quiet one, the type of island where you take your family on holiday if there aren’t any mid to late teens who need entertaining, which would be more suited to Majorca. Ibiza is well known in Europe as a clubbing destination.’
Menorca villas are often let out to holidaymakers, with the season generally running from May to end September.
As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.
Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.
Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Park, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.
The cost of flying to Mallorca has come down in recent years from most European countries due to low cost airlines, especially in the island’s core tourist areas of the United Kingdom and Germany, and last year easyJet started direct flights from London’s Gatwick Airport to the sister island of Menorca, as well as serving Mallorca itself.

Weekend clubbers from around Europe, and especially from the UK and Germany, descend upon Ibiza in the summer months for a week – and often two – of non stop partying.
Ibiza runs second only to the UK’s main cities of London, Manchester and Liverpool in terms of popularity for clubbers, and some of the Ibiza clubs are as well known as any in the UK.
Demand for flights to Ibiza has been high enough in recent years for a low cost airline to start two new services from the UK to Ibiza, which should see the number of tourists on the island rise this year.
The two new routes are from Edinburgh in Scotland twice weekly, and London’s Luton Airport with both routes offering a daily service.
Announcing the new routes, a spokesman for the airline said that the famous Ibiza club season gets going at the end of June, and is still the best place to party in Europe. For the quiet life, head inland to the north coast of the island, where you’ll find some of Spain’s most beautiful landscape rolling into the Mediterranean.
Talking about Ibiza’s neighbouring island and equally well known holiday destination Majorca, where they have been offering a low cost service for some years, the airline said of Majorca’s capital, Palma, that it is the elegant and cosmopolitan capital of Majorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands, and is known for its beaches, climate, cultural and traditional influences. The warm climate of Palma makes it a popular destination, with something for everyone.
As well as Majorca and Ibiza, the airline also offers a service to the third Balearic Island, Menorca.
‘Of the three Balearic Islands, Menorca is known as the quiet one, the type of island where you take your family on holiday if there aren’t any mid to late teens who need entertaining, which would be more suited to Majorca. Ibiza is well known in Europe as a clubbing destination.’ Say one travel guide for Menorca and Majorca.
Menorca villas are often let out to holidaymakers, with the season generally running from May to end September.
As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.
Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.
Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Park, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.
The three Balearic Islands of Menorca, Majorca and Ibiza might be close to each other, but they are all different in character and the type of tourist they typically attract.
A surprise is that the amount of time spent on Ibiza by each tourist is longer than on Menorca and Majorca – destroying the myth that Ibiza is primarily for long weekends or short trips for a couple of nights in the club.
The findings by the Balearics Tourist Authority show that after Ibiza, Menorca visitors stay on average for 11 days, with Majorca just behind. And the same pattern emerges for spending per day, with Ibiza top, Majorca second, and Majorca last.
The amount spent by Ibiza tourists averaged 94 Euros a day – a huge contribution to the island’s economy, which could be furthered with the new routes from London and Edinburgh.

Ask any European about Ibiza, and they’re likely to tell you the same thing: it’s where the party is. For decades this island located between the coasts of Spain and Africa has been known for its wild parties, lively clubs and all-around chaotic nightlife. But is that all changing now?
Although you can still find a good party on Ibiza if that’s what you’re after, the focus of everything Ibiza is no longer hedonistic in nature. These days, many of the tourists on the island can be found far away from the clubs, living it up in the quietest way.
The locals have always been tolerant of the party trade because of the tourist money it brings to the island. Many property owners have made a fair income on rental properties in Ibiza, knowing that the properties are more or less guaranteed to be rented throughout the peak visiting months. But there is another side to the island, and the people who live on it, that is just starting to become evident to visitors.
Far away from the club scene on Ibiza there exists a surprisingly peaceful world. The waters are clear and inviting; the landscape just begs to be explored; and the locals are friendly. The natural excitement of the land overtakes even the most seasoned traveler and puts the strangest ideas in their heads. Suddenly, packing up all of one’s worldly possessions and embarking on a new life on this Balearic Island doesn’t seem so crazy.
Before you get ahead of yourself, though, take a step back and enjoy all that the island has to offer. No matter which direction you go, you will find engaging cities, unrivaled natural beaches and a serenity that you may not have imagined was possible on this ‘party’ island.
Befriend the locals and they may just tell you where to find Atlantis. No, not the fabled lost city, but almost as breathtaking. The Ibiza version of Atlantis is a tiny but stunning beach with a natural cave. The goddess Shiva is depicted on a cave drawing here and is said to protect the area.
The countryside in Ibiza, though extremely beautiful, is under-appreciated by most visitors. Those who come only for the clubs will never see the romantic vineyards that dot the landscape. They will never experience the disorienting winding turns down narrow corridors in D’alt Villa. They will never truly appreciate the serene beauty of a sunset while walking down one of the island’s many wonderful beaches.
It is this Ibiza that the locals are trying to preserve and promote. The hard-partying image of the island has served the tourist trade there well for over three decades. Now, the time has come to let the natural beauty of the island speak for itself.
Those with an adventurous spirit will enjoy the many water sports available on Ibiza as well as the various exploring opportunities offered by the cliffs and rocky beaches. Even families can have a great time on the island, enjoying the welcomed escape from their everyday lives and schedules. No matter what your age or what you hope to find on Ibiza, it is truly a magical place where expectations are surpassed every day.