Fewer foreigners!

These are important falls but at the same time the number of German and British tourists coming to the islands has reached record levels. I am rather baffled. Well not really, the tax campaign launched by the Spanish government targetting foreign residents has probably contributed to this drop in residents.

In other words some British and German residents want to be off the radar. But it does cause problems. Take Calvia; the size of the resident population has fallen meaning that the council will have fewer councillors and also less government aid because there are fewer local residents. Now, obviously some British and Gerrman residents have moved away. The shortage of jobs and the rise in the cost of living have been a contributing factor.

In the case of the British the uncertainty over Brexit has also made people think about their life in the sun, especially with the fall in value of sterling. But having said that the Brexit exodus which many had been forecasting has not really come about. The local authorities should be concerned, though, these islands need their foreign residents and they must feel at home here.