CHAMPAGNE ON ICE

NOW, I don´t want to spoil all the optimism surrounding the summer season (especially in these hard economic times) but Majorca mustn´t believe that because the British are travelling again this summer it doesn´t automatically mean that they will come here on holiday.

As I have said before in this space Majorca has plenty of competition in destinations which are far cheaper for the British because they are out of the euro-zone. I was pleased to see that many of the major tour firms are reporting better holiday sales than last year especially to Spain but places like Andalucia are much cheaper than the Balearics.

So, for the time being I think it would be best to put the champagne on ice. Majorca still has a major problem with price. It is far too expensive for your average recession hit British tourist. Value for money deals, both on hotels and restaurants and bars is what is needed. The present political uncertainty is not helping things and I do fear that the ministry for tourism will be powerless to act because of all the political infighting. But one thing for sure, Majorca has a good product all you need is people to go out and sell it. This is going to be a difficult summer season but the days of complacency are well and truly over in the Balearics.