A tourist, our livelihood

By Jason Moore I find it quite amazing that the tourist industry has to appeal to the local population to be nice to tourists. Perhaps instead of having silly promotional campaigns such as “A Tourist, A Friend” the local government should place placards across the island with the slogan, “A Tourist Our Livelihood.” A recent survey suggested that the Balearics was bottom of the class when it came to being hospitable to tourists. If the results are accurate then alarm bells should be ringing across the islands and the Balearic government should be taking action at once. This is a serious problem and there is no short-term fix. Yes, perhaps the local population is taking tourists for granted and yes the beaches do get crowded during the summer months. But there is little other industry here and without tourists these islands would have serious problems. You can't take holidaymakers for granted, especially these days with new resorts opening up in the eastern Mediterranean. British tour operators are reviewing all their destinations in Spain and if the necessary facilities, which includes a hospitable local population, are not available they are not ruling out the possibility of going elsewhere. Let us not forget either that our principal industry is geared towards mass tourism, and this dream of moving up market with fewer tourists but with greater spending power is just that, a dream. So come on Balearics start working on your manners. We can't take tourists for granted. This island is one of the richest in Spain thanks to the fact that Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr and Mrs. Schmidt come here on holiday every year and spend their hard-earned cash in local businesses. Remember, they don't have to come here, there are plenty of other destinations where the welcome may be slightly more friendly.