A delegation from Mallorca traveled to Scandinavia earlier this month hoping to attract tourists from the wealthy region with a focus on sustainable tourism.

Mallorca is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, a chain of sun-drenched islands in the western Mediterranean, around 100 miles from Barcelona and Valencia on the east coast of mainland Spain. The vast Gothic cathedral in the capital Palma de Mallorca and the UNESCO-listed Serra de Tramuntana are among the highlights of Mallorca.

Scandinavia has long been Mallorca’s third-largest foreign tourist market after Germany and the UK, but its popularity had waned in the years before the pandemic.

In 2019, the number of tourists from Scandinavia fell by 20%, driven by unfavorable exchange rates and the difficulties encountered by the low-cost carrier Norwegian. Other Scandinavian favourites, including Egypt and Turkey, have become more attractive financially than destinations using the euro.

Promoting Majorca in Scandinavia

Now that most pandemic-related travel restrictions have been lifted, making travel to Europe possible again, Mallorca’s tourism bosses wanted to remind its former Scandinavian tourists of what the island has to offer.

Representatives of the Council of Mallorca, the Transport Consortium of Mallorca and the Federation of Hotel Businesses of Mallorca met with tour operators and the media in Denmark and Norway, and by videoconference with tour operators in Sweden.

The delegation was keen to highlight Mallorca’s sustainability credentials, including the new Sustainable Tourism Observatory, the Circular Action Plan for hotels, a new green hydrogen plant and the natural gas bus system or to electricity. Mallorca Council said they received an “excellent welcome” during the trip.

Reinforced air links from Scandinavia

Now is a good time to promote travel to the island, with many airlines planning regular flights throughout the 2022 summer season. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) operates daily flights to Mallorca from Copenhagen and Stockholm.

SAS departures from Oslo are less frequent, but Norwegians wishing to travel direct have other options. The new Norwegian look is back in Mallorca with direct flights from the three Scandinavian capitals: Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm, while new competitor Flyr has launched a direct service from Oslo three times a week.