Jason MoorePalma12/03/2021 12:41
TW
0

SENIOR local politicians are busy telling everyone who will listen that the tourist industry is up and running, which as we all know it is not. And the chances of the island having a fantastic April and May for tourism, as Balearic President Francina Armengol suggested, are optimistic to say the least.

The British will be unable to travel to the island until May 17 at the earliest and this is providing that everything goes to plan. The Germans still have to quarantine and have a PCR test when they return from a Mallorcan holiday because restrictions have still not been eased. According to travel giant TUI these restrictions will be eased shortly but no date has been given.

Spain wants to introduce the vaccine passport by May but the only nation in Europe where massive vaccination is taking place successfully is Britain.

Only a small percentage of Germans have had the vaccine. Granted that there are reasons to be upbeat and I have no doubt that we will have a holiday season this year and it will be better than last year, but we need to have a degree of caution.

We are not out of the woods yet. Local politicians must also remember that the island is facing some stiff competition from competing destinations such as Greece and Turkey.

Price this year will be key. Instead of claiming that the islands are ready for tourists the local government should be spending on promotion campaigns in Britain and Germany telling tourists that the island is open for business.