18/06/2002 00:00
TW
0

Dear Sir,
I sympathise with the Spanish workforce or I did but two years in succession is a bit much. Their attitude seems to be one of getting the tourist where it hurts, during the main tourist season. Why not, they only bring millions of pounds into Spain year in year out and everyone benefits. Yes, can't wait for my two weeks in the sun but it won't be will it? It'll be twelve days holiday and two days stuck in airports. I'd like to thank our Spanish friends for once again tarnishing my annual summer holiday for which I, like many others, spend all year working hard and saving for. Next year and onwards, we will not be visiting Spain and hopefully it will be devoid of visitors enabling the Spanish summer workforce especially the airport transfer drivers to stay on the beaches the whole season with empty pockets. Maybe then they will be happy.

Stefan Wozniak. Alloa, Scotland.

Dear Editor
Hoping to fly to Majorca on Thursday 20th June (independently, own transport arranged) can you tell if the strike will only be affecting coaches and taxis? Will the airport staff be working as normal? i.e. will all flights be accepted and processed as normal?

Thank you,

Paula Goodwin

Editor's note. Unfortunately the airport will be hit with most staff going on strike. If you are travelling this Thursday you can expect delays and disruption.

Food for thought
Dear Editor,
I was interested to read that IBATUR (the Balearic Tourism Promotion Body) have, developed various advertorials in specific glossy magazines such as Tatler and Financial Times. May I point out a few things. Firstly, a question; since when is The Financial Times a glossy magazine? Then, when you look at the circulation of the FT it seems a very odd choice of media to promote what in essence is a “family holiday island”. The FT is essentially a businessman's newspaper (fine for business travel ads.) with a relatively small circulation of around 490'000 compared with, for instance, The Times 700'000; The Daily Telegraph over 1.000'000; The Daily Mail around 2'400'000; I could go on but I think you get the gist. Then let's take a look at The Tatler. The media choice here I would guess is again all to do with this current administration's dream of targeting “quality tourism” and totally ignoring what has been the life–blood of these islands– the average tourist. Tatler is read by the “gels” who (or aspire to) chill out in Regines, aprs–ski in St. Moritz and sun their buns on Mustique. But then look at the circulation, only 71'000 in the UK; and looking even deeper, only around 45'000 are sold whilst 26'000 are given away! Compare this with say, Cosmopolitan with over 400'000 copies bought in the UK and Vogue with around 125'000 buyers and you can see again the media planning is very odd– to say the least.

John Rule, Sol de Mallorca