"Good news" that the tourism season is starting earlier, says the Balearic president

Marga Prohens has defended the use of tourist tax funds for 'fijo discontinuo' employees

Cruise ship tourists in Palma. | Photo: Miquel À. Cañellas

Andrew EdePalma22/04/2025 19:41

On Tuesday, the president of the Balearics, Marga Prohens, said this Easter's tourism has been "very good" and that the trend from last year is continuing. The tourism season is starting earlier, and this is "good news".

The president accepted that "obviously" there could have have been specific instances of congestion in certain parts of the island over Easter.

Prohens noted that July and August growth in 2024 had been "minimal," while the largest increases had occurred in April and May as well as in September and October. "This lengthening of the season and the lack of growth and increased tourist pressure, or not increasing this pressure much more in July and August, is in line with what the government has been working towards from the outset."

She also spoke about the intention to allocate tourist tax funds to provide incentives so that employees on 'fijo discontinuo' contracts can be upgraded to indefinite contracts, implying that they will work all year.

These will provide greater job security and stability and a better financial situation throughout the year. "It's the model we've been seeking for some time." In her view, this is a good initiative as it will benefit workers. (It has yet to be clarified how this change of contract might be implemented.)

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Charles Dalrymple-Chumley | 26 days ago

I don't know if it's good news or not Marga Prohens but today (Tuesday) in central Palma the streets were jammed with tourists, most from cruise ships moving in guided packs. It was all but impossible to get from A to B. According to Cruise Schedule, over 10,000 passengers across 3 cruise ships were in port today and most of them seem to have disembarked and headed for the centre. Now, to know whether these day trippers bring actual sales value to Palma, there's a game you can play. Take a seat at a cafe and count the number of branded shopping bags carried by the visitors. Not teeny fridge magnet bags but meaningful carrier bags from the brand shops and stores. If in a 15 minute period with hundreds of tourists passing by you count more than 10 bags, you've broken a record and deserve a prize. I rarely get past 6 bags. The point being that there's a mass of people on our streets but they ain't spending. And that's why the whole cruise ship saga is a complete waste of time. Hordes of people with no spending power. So what's the point of that?

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