Green Decisions Boost Menorca's Family Holiday Appeal

Menorca has firmly established itself as the Balearic island of choice for young couples and families - largely due to ecological decisions protecting the island’s environment.

[UKPRwire, Wed May 24 2006] Menorca has firmly established itself as the Balearic island of choice for young couples and families.

An analysis of 2005-6 bookings for holidays in the Balearic Islands by UK tourists shows an overall increase in sales of Menorcan flights and hotels.

The report by www.freedomdirect.co.uk highlights the particular increase in bookings made by couples and families with young children, who are impressed by the clean, quiet beaches and family-friendly facilities.

This follows a slight downturn between 2002-4 following the introduction of laws that restricted some tourist activities, but prevented Menorca's resorts and landscape being damaged by over-development.

A strong appeal for visitors from the UK, is that flights to Menorca run from all the major airports throughout Britain, including Glasgow, Belfast, Manchester and the London airports.

Only daytime flights go to Mao (Mahon) and this is an important factor for families travelling with young children.

The Menorcan authorities have made a great effort to protect the island from the potentially damaging effects of tourism and this has strengthened the appeal for holidaymakers looking for an unspoilt Mediterranean atmosphere.

For this purpose an "eco-tax" was introduced in 2002 and this briefly effected visitor numbers, so it is encouraging for the Menorcan economy to see a continued rise in numbers over the last two seasons.

Menorca is benefiting from the higher profile of environmental issues, which are increasingly affecting consumer decisions.

Menorca has a reputation as being quieter than its neighbours. It does have a wide choice of clubs and restaurants, but these don't dominate the resorts as they do in some Ibizan and Majorcan towns.

Ibiza has a long established reputation as the island of choice for clubbers and there is no sign of it going out of fashion. It is not just Ibiza's world-famous clubs and party atmosphere that appeals, but the laid-back nature of the island by day.

Majorca has the broadest appeal of the Balearic islands, but draws the largest number of bookings from large groups of under-30s.

Although Menorca is the second largest of the Balearic islands, the island has almost as many beaches as Majorca and Ibiza combined.

Peaceful holiday resorts line the south coast of Menorca and sleepy fishing villages are dotted along Menorca's rockier northern shore.

The oldest and largest towns in Menorca are Mao (Mahon), the walled capital of Menorca and Ciutadella, Menorca's ancient capital at the opposite end of the island.

Ciutadella is a graceful town, full of winding streets with old buildings and churches. The island's mixed heritage - it has been controlled by France, Spain and Great Britain in the past - is reflected in its varied architecture.

The report on Menorca's flight and hotel bookings was carried out by www.freedomdirect.co.uk, an online travel agency, from an analysis of sales for 2005 and 2006.

Bookmark this release: Del.icio.us - Digg - Furl - Blinklist - Reddit