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Dear Sir,
During my last visit to the island and my stay at Port de Pollenca (ten visits in six years) I was horrified to see the changes and the no care attitude of local authorities. We all save like mad to afford our desperately needed annual holiday to rest, swim and enjoy the sunshine. Well, the slogan “go to Majorca, spend time in the most beautiful and picturesque town of Port de Pollenca where you will be able to recharge your battery” has now become a laugh as the port will offer no rest, no quiet siestas and no relaxation because on every corner is a building site, hammering and cutting all day, with trucks delivering concrete and hearing angle grinders to drive you crazy. Then you are off to the beach which, since the storms, have changed and all the nice soft sand has disappeared replaced by stones which cut into your feet and dredging is not a solution as it will destroy the seabeds.

And what about the clean–up operations since the storms? I agree they take some time but I cannot accept sunbathing and having large caterpillars crawling between the sun beds all day! This situation stretches all the way to Lenaris. From there on the Council has left the seaweed on the seafront creating a stench and is obviously a perfect breeding place for insects, etc. What are the local authorities doing? They are now collecting eco–tax and one wonders where the money is going. Then, since the introduction of the Euro I hate to bring further bad news but the prices have sky–rocketed and in the majority of cases they have doubled. It is therefore no surprise to read in your paper that holiday–makers are staying away. The island is expecting a drop of tourists of about 20% which, in Euro terms, is enormous. How are they going to replace the income? I have also heard rumours that the authorities are considering letting places like Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken or McDonalds come into town which will immediately destroy the picturesque image of the port. Taking all this into account at the end of the day Majorca needs bums in their beds and relies on the income of the tourists. However, in my opinion, they are going the wrong way about it and are continuing to lose tourists to Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Croatia who are welcoming our tourists with open arms. Please, wake up, smell the roses before it is too late.

Caroline Fish, England (by Email)