The Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca filled the hotels around Playa de Palma

The 53rd Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by Iberostar helped to generate an occupancy rate of close to 70% in the hotels of Playa de Palma during the month of March, according to data from the industry body, the Asociación Hoteleros Playa de Palma.

For its 53rd edition, the great Mallorcan Olympic sailing event attracted some 2,500 people to Mallorca, including sailors, technicians, journalists and organizing personnel.

Although the event took place from the 29th of March to the 6th of April, a large number of the participating teams travelled to the island in the weeks leading up to the event, generating a considerable increase in hotel occupancy during the month of March, prior to the start of the Easter tourist season.

According to the Asociación Hoteleros Playa de Palma in March there was a 68% occupancy rate in the 85 hotels operating in the area on those dates, 75% of the hotel organization which comprises 114 establishments offering almost 34,000 beds.

The president of this organization, Pedro Marín, highlights how the Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by Iberostar contributes to the seasonal tourism, as shown by the hotel occupancy figures for the month of March, as well as revitalising the attendant local catering and hospitality businesses.

The organisers of the Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by Iberostar estimate an economic impact on the island of around seven million euros, a figure that includes the cost of accommodation, subsistence, registration fees and travel transfers for all the participants. It is not surprising that the Balearic institutions support the Sofía, as the Conseller de Turismo of the Consell de Mallorca, José Marcial Rodríguez, explained at the official presentation of the event: "We support the capacity that this type of event gives us to convert the tourist activity of this island into part of the solution and not part of the problem".

The example of the RFEV
One example of the deployment that this event generates is the team that the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation (RFEV) mobilised for this 53rd edition. It sent a total of 80 people to Mallorca, including almost 50 athletes from the Paris 2024 team and the team working for the next Olympic cycle, 14 coaches, nine technicians from the multidisciplinary team and six professionals from the communications department. The delegation stayed in Mallorca for an average of ten nights per person at the Hotel Plaza Son Rigo, the national team's headquarters for the second consecutive year, and generated an economic impact of around 100,000 euros, including only accommodation and per diems.

The RFEV's Director of Business Development and Innovation, Laia Tutzó, points out that "the team requires common spaces that allow meetings to be held and also exclusive spaces for the equipment and services of the health team, as well as a gym, although the demands of sports planning often require travel to venues outside the hotel".

Another important detail of the establishment chosen by the RFEV is the type of accommodation. "Athletes prefer to stay in flats equipped with kitchens, so that they can cook and manage their diets better," adds Tutzó.

Precisely, the high quality hotel infrastructure at competitive prices is one of the factors that has helped to consolidate the Bay of Palma as a winter training base for many international Olympic sailing teams, together with the excellent conditions offered by the bay for the practice of this sport and the impeccable service provided by the three yacht clubs organising the event: Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa (CMSAP), Club Nàutic S'Arenal (CNA) and Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP).

"The Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by Iberostar has been the driving force behind turning the Bay of Palma into one of the preferred enclaves for Olympic sailing as a winter training base, which helps to deseasonalise tourism on the island," says the regatta's technical director and manager of the CNA, Ferrán Muniesa.

Nearly 850 boats and more than 1,100 sailors from 76 countries competed in this year's Mallorcan event, a record number of participants in an Olympic year and an absolute record number of nations represented in the 53 editions of the regatta.

According to Muniesa, "these impressive figures are the result of the passion and spirit of constant improvement of the CMSAP, CNA and RCNP teams involved in the organisation of the event. We are very proud to contribute to the Mallorcan economy, and what's more, we do it with a model of sporting and sustainable tourism, with a visitor profile that loves nature and protects and cares for the marine environment".

The 53 Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía Mallorca by Iberostar was the first qualifying event for the Sailing World Cup 2024 and was held from 29th March to 6th April under the joint organisation of the Club Nàutic S'Arenal, the Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa, the Real Club Náutico de Palma, the Real Federación Española de Vela and the Federación Balear de Vela, with the support of World Sailing and the main Balearic public institutions.