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Dear Sir,

Photographs of the British Prime Minister, his wife and family enjoying a cafe solo in the beautiful square in Pollensa currently adorn virtually every newspaper, television and Internet news site in Spain's biggest tourist market - the United Kingdom.

The presence of one of our greatest sporting heroes, Bradley Wiggins, in Puerto Pollensa also has not gone unnoticed by the British media.
This is publicity money cannot buy and can only be good news for the tourist industry in Pollensa and the whole of Majorca in these tough economic times showing to Great Britain and the world the quality that Majorca has to offer. But what will the Ministry of Tourism and its friends in the hotel lobby think?

I have no knowledge as to whether Mr Cameron or Bradley Wiggins are staying in self catering accommodation or not but, in Pollensa, many hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers are attracted to this beautiful part of the island over the holiday season (which seems to get shorter as each year passes) because of its offering of ‘quality' self catering villas and apartments - a concept the lobby and government fails or refuses to acknowledge.

Would these holidaymakers come if the only choice (itself an oxymoron) is hotel accommodation?
And yet this is the agenda of those with power but clearly lacking any responsibility.
After a lifetime enjoying the self catering holiday delights of Pollensa as I grew up, I am in the fortunate position of being a home owner in the Port with no need or inclination of letting out my property but have the authorities given any thought to the consequences if they seriously pursue their plans to extinguish Majorca's self catering holiday market?

Those who need to let their properties to pay the bills will be forced to sell leading to the bottom dropping out of an already depressed property market.

Visitor numbers, particularly in upscale self catering resorts like Pollensa, would plummet and head to alternative destinations seeking to welcome them with open arms.

Bars, restaurants and other establishments would be forced into bankruptcy. Unemployment which is already too high would skyrocket. It does not take a genius to work this out.

Let us hope common sense prevails before the turkeys decide to vote for Christmas.
Yours faithfully,

James Martin

Surrey & Puerto Pollensa

Sir,

How ironic that our Prime Minister and his family are here on Majorca this week and have chosen to stay in private accommodation! By doing so, they join the ranks of the 40% (of visitors to the island) who, according to the Majorcan Hotel Federation last week, do not stay in hotels and are in their view unwelcome guests! Maybe Mr Cameron, if you are reading this, you would be kind enough to have a word with your Majorcan counter-part on behalf of the British citizens who own holiday apartments on the island and who wish to rent them out to decent families like yourselves - for they cannot currently do so without breaking Majorcan law and risking heavy fines.

And don't let him fool you by saying these owners are only breaking the law because they haven't licensed their properties - for there are no such licenses available! If you can persuade the Majorcan government to enter the 21st century on this topic, you would get genuine thanks (and certain votes!) from the tens of thousands of Britons affected by this, not only here but in the Canariy Islands too where the same antiquated regulations apply, and who for the most part just cannot keep up their mortgage payments without renting out during the Summer.

Sincerely,

Peter Waters

Portals Nous

Dear Sir,

I trust the private villa David Cameron is staying in has all the necessary tourist licences?

Ian Morrison
Porto Colom