"It is worth pointing out that whilst in terms of the percentage of market share the drops might seem small, in overall terms this is massive: Malaga's drop from 8% to 5% means almost a halving in bookings, Mallorca's drop is equivalent to 20% of sales, and so on. No one can ignore such significant hits.
"What's behind this? Well, the tour operator share has fallen slowly if we look at the last 20 years with the entry of low-cost carriers, growth in FIT and so on.
"But such a drastic drop in two years can only be explained by two main phenomenon: firstly it seems that the main tour operators have not been able to capture all the new potential clients following the collapse of Thomas Cook (who had roughly 7% of the overall market share of the destinations analized).
"And secondly COVID is perhaps pushing some travellers to prefer the flexibility offered by FIT trips booked with low-cost carriers and so on.
"Our strong advice to Spanish destination tourism boards - or indeed hotels in those destinations - is to adapt to this new tendency when it comes to marketing campaigns and the types of in-destination experiences available."
Tags: Mabrian
