Editorial: Give us the flights

Just out of interest yesterday I asked on our social media sites, which are read by a large number of tourists, how many would return during the low season if there were more flights. Now the answer was enormous, with scores of people saying that they would happily come back during the winter months because Majorca was such a fantastic place 12 months of the year. Now my intention was to underline the fact to airlines and tour firms that tourists will come to the island if there are flights over the winter. More winter flights are being promised and more hotels are expected to open their doors this winter. As I mentioned earlier this week one British tour firm is even planning to operate a limited winter programme. I sincerely wish that the local ministry for tourism would wake up to the fact that Majorca could easily be a low season destination. At the moment the tourist trade consists of just three months of the year, June, July and August. If only it could be extended it would help lift the economic gloom and create valuable jobs during the winter season. A decade ago the major British tour firms operated scores of flights a week to the island during the winter. This state of affairs has declined dramatically over recent years. These days there are few flights and few hotels that remain open. Hopefully, this state of affairs will change in the not too distant future. We know tourists will come, now we just need the hotels and the flights.