UNACCEPTABLE

THE President of the Majorcan Tourist Board will have little option but to resign after saying that “Africans and South Americans employed in hotels, do not know how to sell Majorca.” Pedro Iriondo was also rather scathing about passengers on no-frills airlines, according to local press reports.

I like Pedro Iriondo, and I think he has been a good President of the Majorcan Tourist Board but his comments are just unacceptable. I think what he was trying to say was that hotel staff, many of whom had just arrived on the island, didn´t have such a knowledge of the island as their counterparts from Majorca or the Spanish mainland. This in some cases is true but let us remember that for many years, local hotels were staffed by people from the mainland whose knowledge would also be limited. His scathing attack on no-frills airline, Ryanair, saying that the airline didn´t bring quality tourism to the island is also unacceptable. This is a mistake and he would be amazed to discover who does travel with Ryanair, especially when there are no other flights to the island. It is a great shame that he made these comments and he will probably have to pay the price. Yesterday, he apologised but perhaps it is too late. It is a great shame but I believe he has little choice but to quit.