Regardless of the fact that the Balearic government's Aetib agency has, for now at least, lost 2.7 million euros of its promotional budget, the Council of Majorca says its presence at major travel fairs this year is assured.
The Council has its own budget because it has assumed promotional responsibilities. The councillor for economic affairs (which include tourism), Cosme Bonet, suggests that the problem with the government's budget will be resolved but he is critical of political "filibustering" and the "irresponsibility" of the Partido Popular, who supported the Podemos amendment to divert the 2.7 million euros to social housing. "On the one hand, they (the PP) are committed to tourism promotion, but on the other they back money for non-tourism purposes."
The Council has its own stand for fairs - it is some 200 square metres - and it is already in use at the Ferien Messe Vienna 2019, which runs until Sunday. This stand will be used at the ITB fair in Berlin in March and at London's World Travel Market in November.
The Partido Popular have meanwhile denied that there is a problem with the government's funding of promotion at the travel fairs. The party says that tourism minister Bel Busquets knows full well that amendments can be made to allocations in the budget. The PP are still insisting that they made a mistake when they voted with Podemos.
