Changing face

THE days of Majorca just being visited by predominantly German and British tourists are over and these days visiting holidaymakers have a far more cosmopolitan mix. Tourists are now coming to the island from far afield fuelled by the cruise ship boom and greater air links with eastern Europe. You can no longer say that Arenal is just for the Germans and Magalluf for the British. This change could cause some problems for the island because many of the island´s resorts are just geared for German and British tourists. There is not much point offering German beer or the Premier league to tourists from Poland or Russia or France. Also, people involved in the industry are going to have to learn more languages. In some ways it is good news for Majorca which for many years has been reliant on tourists from Germany and Britain. If these two countries suffered any economic woes then it would be bad news for the local economy. Majorca has a good opportunity to be a “united nations” holiday resort but it must start moving with the times and offer tourists what they want. Even event guides from tourist information offices need to be updated so that they offer more languages. Businesses in the resorts need to be encouraged to move away from their traditional customers and cater for all. The changing face of Majorca has some good point but it is obviously going to lead to plenty more work from the local authorities and the industry.