Tourism and football

By Jason Moore FOR years now the local authorities have been pondering the big problem of trying to attract more winter tourists. The present local government is planning to base its winter tourism campaign on shopping, Majorcan cuisine and golf. This is not a bad idea but it would help if more shops opened on a Saturday afternoon. However, what about football. Paul Davidson, the man who is set to buy Real Mallorca, said that he would like to see far more tourists and foreign residents alike going to watch Real Mallorca. So why don´t the local authorities also use Real Mallorca as part of their winter tourism campaign? Come to Majorca, eat well, play golf, go shopping and also watch a first rate football match. La Liga matches are shown live on Sky Sports and obviously the Spanish league has an important following in Britain. An estimated 7'000 Newcastle fans are heading to the island next weekend to watch Real Mallorca play Newcastle. This sort of tournament is great for the island and I hope that it becomes a regular event. But returning to winter tourism I am sure that the prospect of a First Division football match would help attract tourists on get-away weekends during the winter. Real Mallorca is a real asset to the island and it could help to attract tourists as well.