Editorial: Tourism update

If you ever want an update on the state of the tourist industry don´t ask the Balearic government, speak to a taxi driver! They are obviously on the frontline of tourism and their honesty is refreshing. One cabbie told me this week that the summer season has yet to start and Palma was exceptionally quiet eventhough the Balearic government claim that we are on course for a record summer season. “You wouldn´t think it is June, would you,” the taxi driver told me as we surveyed rather empty Palma streets. Also, the cruise ship boom which Palma is enjoying, may be good for the Palma port authority but is doing little to help the local economy, according to my friendly cabbie. He says that a sizeable number of cruise ship passengers do not even come ashore and those that do spend little. I read a post on social media the other day about the large number of cruise ships which are visiting Palma;someone remarked that this was the tourism that Majorca wanted, not those that go to Magalluf. Well, you will probably find that those tourists in Magalluf spend far more than those that visit Palma on a cruise ship. My cabbie said that in some cases the only thing that cruise ship passengers buy is a bottle of water. So all is not well within our  principal industry. While talks are underway to form a new coalition government with a tourist tax at the top of the agenda it appears that we could struggle this year. The summer season continues to get shorter.