An opportunity missed

Palma is rapidly becoming one of the cruise line centres of the western Mediterranean. Our Palma port is so popular that the port authority are planning to make it even bigger so that it can accommodate yet more cruise ships. But is Majorca really making the most of what could be a lucrative market? All this week, along the Jaime III, I have passed a large group of cruise ship passengers who are on a guided excursion of Palma. There are literally hundreds of them all following their guide on their organised excursion. Obviously time is short because their ship only remains in Palma for a matter of hours and therefore their excursion starts early.

Yesterday morning they were all wandering down the Jaime III at about 10a.m. but unfortunately all the shops hadn´t opened yet! An opportunity missed. If Majorca is going to get the best out of this market then some coordination is needed. I am sure that shops in the city centre would open earlier if they knew that they were going to be visited by hundreds of cruise ship passengers. A large number of these vessels all visit Palma on a Sunday but as we know this is a rather pointless exercise because the shops are closed along with many of the restaurants. I find it all rather amazing.

To move clear of the choppy waters of recession Majorca must exploit every opportunity and obviously this starts with the cruise ship market. Palma must have its stall ready for when they arrive early in the morning.