Jet2 boss Steve Heapy has named his favourite holiday destination – and it is a Spanish island popular with British tourists.
The budget airline’s CEO, who has held the role since 2013, said Majorca remained his favourite spot for a break, adding that he felt it was not somewhere he felt could be improved.
Hundreds of thousands of British tourists visit the island, the largest of the Balearic Islands, every year.
The destination draws in visitors from across Europe with its golden beaches and hot weather.
Speaking to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, an English language news outlet on the island, Mr Heapy said: “Mallorca is my favourite destination in the world. It is somewhere that you cannot improve as a destination.
“I know that our customers feel the same way, however it is important to remember that they make an enormous contribution to the local economy, so we want to make sure we can do everything we can to encourage that, whilst of course looking after the needs of the island too.”
Jet2 flies tens of thousands of people to the island from airports across the UK – and Mr Heapy said the airline had had an “incredibly successful year” on routes to the island.
In recent months, Majorca has been rocked by protests from residents concerned about the impact of overtourism on the island.
The island’s government has also increased the tourist tax for guests staying in accommodation.
The over-tourism protests and increased costs for visitors have led to some concerns that British tourists may consider alternative destinations served by budget airlines such as Turkey.
Mr Heapy said Jet2 was aware of the protests, which he blamed on unlicensed tourism increasing house prices in some areas – adding that his company worked with “licenced accommodation providers in holiday resorts”.
On the tourist tax, he called for transparency on how the revenue generated from such a scheme was used so holidaymakers could see how their money was being spent.
He told the Bulletin: “Tourism is such a huge part of the economy, so to tax it sends out the wrong message to customers.
“If you give the impression that you do not want holidaymakers or that you want to hit them in the pocket, the risk is that you drive them to visit somewhere else instead.”
