TW

Back in a cold and wet London in November the Majorcan tourist industry were warned that there could be a big fall in bookings to Majorca; other competing destinations were looking attractive and there was a school of thought that Majorca was no longer a cheap holiday destination.

The warning was made during the World Travel Market tourism fair and there was some concern but the general consensus of opinion was that it would be alright on the night. Well, we are in July and bookings are down and Majorca is facing the prospect of a poor summer season.

What has gone wrong? Well nothing really...it is a question of most people believing that it would be alright on the night because it has always been alright on the night. But this year it looks as if it is not going to be alright on the night, far from it. Majorca needs to start looking as its pricing and decide whether the island can survive with fewer tourists. If it can´t then tough decisions will have to be made.

The hoteliers have been calling for the tourist tax to be scrapped and perhaps this may be a good idea. At the end of the day the amount of money raised is small and it could easily be raised by other means, even a voluntary donation from tourists. If the present predictions are correct then the island is heading for one of its worst holiday seasons in recent memory. This is bad news and will have a knock on impact on the island and its economy. Let’s hope that it will be alright on the night.