THE WEATHER!

By Jason Moore I never thought I would start wishing for rain and colder weather! What a respite last weekend was after one of the hottest Julys on record. While, the Balearics makes its living from beach tourism I wonder whether last month was just too hot for tourists; even the local population were complaining about the heat. The fact that Palma was like a ghost town for much of last month clearly underlines the fact that perhaps it was too hot to shop. Judging by the latest reports on climate change in the Mediterranean our summers are going to get even hotter; a recent report suggests that in 50 years time the weather in the Mediterranean will be too hot for tourists. Now, we've heard all these reports before and sometimes it is better just to take them with a pinch of salt; but too hot for tourists. This would be a nightmare situation for the islands. Temperatures of 40 degrees Centigrade are not very pleasant at all and I am sure that you end up complaining about the heat even if you come from one of the coldest places on earth! What with colder winters and warmer summers the Balearic climate is obviously changing. While there is often plenty of talk about the local tourist industry and all its assets if the sun is shining just that bit too brightly then there are problems on the horizon. The cold winter weather makes low season tourism a problem also.