Tourism: a warning

By Jason Moore HALF a million holidays already sold to Majorca, is probably good news especially in the present economic climate. This was the good news from the conference by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) at the weekend. But there was also a warning, and it was a big warning. Majorca´s hotels, in some cases, have become outdated and not offering the same facilities as other areas, namely Turkey and Egypt. Hotels with their own water-parks and a dozen restaurants have been built in the eastern Mediterranean while in Majorca you can count the new package holiday hotels which have been built almost on a single hand. Holiday bookings to Turkey have risen dramatically; it may have something to do with price (Turkey is outside the euro-zone) but also quality. British tourists these days want value for money in good quality hotels. So they want the cake and eat it? Yes, and unfortunately for the Balearics they can, Turkey has got it all. The warning is that unless major investment is made in resorts and hotels then Turkey could overtake the Balearics as the most popular holiday destination for the British. Now, this has been said before but I think this time the Balearics should take note. Times are changing and so is tourism, and value for money and quality is King.